The Roar of Chains
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: (ON HOLD) "Help me, Kurosaki-kun!" She's calling. She's calling me. I can hear her. Stand! Stand up! I…I…I…will protect her! The problem was how could he protect her from herself? Ichigo x Orihime. Renji x Rukia.
1. The Darkness Within Us

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.**  
Title:** The Roar of Chains**  
Rating:** T**  
Genres:** Drama, Romance, Friendship, Angst, Humour.**  
Warnings:** Language. Depression._**  
Main**_ **Pairing:** Ichigo x Orihime; Renji x Rukia.**  
Timeline of this Fic:** All right, so I made a few changes, so this story starts after the _Winter War Arc_. Any questions, feel free to ask. Nevertheless, I must inform you that there were _**will**_ be _spoilers_.**  
Authoress' Note:** Okay, so first of all, I must ask for forgiveness for deleting Lisianthus Hibiscus. Don't kill me! I just started studying the plot, and figured that I should change a few things. Besides, I suddenly had this urge of adding some Ishida x Orihime moments (sweatdrops). However, I think you can consider this as Handprint in my Heart's sequel even though the timeline does not entirely match Handprint in My Heart. I should also inform you that I added a few more information concerning the latest manga chapters, such as Ichigo and Ulquiorra's fight, as well as the Captains vs Espadas' fights. So, beware of possible spoilers! Also, feel free to check my first _Bleach_ story if you'd like, especially if you want to get to know my Original Characters better. I must warn you that main pairing will be _Ichigo x Orihime_, so please restrain yourself from saying offensive things about this couple. Moreover, I'm not a fan of making characters fall in love with one another by making them suffer some sort of an epiphany; therefore, in this story you will _not_ find characters that will fall for each other overnight, ok? I also want to apologize for the errors you'll find; since **English** is my _**second**_ language, it's rather hard for me to correct the mistakes that I leave on every page before posting the new chapter.**  
Summary:** "For you we bled, for us you shall die." That was the price she would have to pay. "For you they fought, for them you shall live." That was the truth he would make her believe in. Ichigo x Orihime

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**The Roar of Chains**

**Chapter 1**

The Darkness within Us

The once immaculate sky was leisurely being subjugated by heavy clouds. The stars were shivering at the low temperatures and at the hushed menace, their radiance offering a melancholic vividness to the gloomy heavens. And the moon…the ashen but prominent Full Moon was captivating the darkness with grief and shades of grey while it waited to be dominated by the devouring clouds.

Everything was silent. However, the stillness of those hours of darkness was nothing but a curse to many souls. After everything that had occurred not many days before, that tranquillity was nothing more but a taunting lullaby from the one that had managed to escape despite of all the efforts to chain him down.

Shuddering, Inoue Orihime pulled her blanket closer to her body, her eyes locked with the moon. It was curious, but in the past she had never minded the dark hours; in fact, she had always enjoyed the refugee that darkness appeared to offer. But now it was different...now night was not as comforting as it used to be, but it was not as if Orihime did not know why.

As she continued to press the blanket harder against her back and shoulders, Orihime continued to observe as the clouds gradually conquered the heavens. Flashes of what had happened not too long ago started consuming her mind, but the girl managed to hold her stance.

Despite of all the fights Aizen had managed to escape, and he had taken the two other former Captains with him. No one knew what he could be planning to do next no matter how hard they tried to analyze his actions. Besides, although the number of wounded was not petrifying, those who had gotten injured still required some attention and rest.

Orihime herself had requested for Captain Unohana to allow her to assist those who had gotten injured. After all, regardless of what everyone said, Orihime knew that everything that had happened was partially her fault.

Had she not fallen into Aizen's game, no one from Seireitei would have been forced to face Aizen so soon.

As the Full Moon disappeared behind a thick and dark cloud, Orihime looked away from the sky, and stared down at her knees. The sound of raindrops hitting the window next to her did not go unnoticed, but the young woman did not look up not even when the sound of a thunder echoed at the horizon.

She wished she had been allowed to stay at Seireitei, but it was not as if she could go against Captain-Commander Yamamoto's orders. And thus, after bowing her head in apology, Orihime had accepted to return to the real world, along with the rest of her friends with exception of Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji.

As she thought about her group of friends, Orihime rested her hands on her knees before closing them into loosely fists.

And then there was the fact that she had also been told about all the almost certain death experiences everyone had went through. Unconsciously, Orihime raised a fist, and pressed it against her chest, underneath the blanket that was resting on her shoulders. Sometimes she wished she had the ability to go back in time...had she been blessed with it then she would do her best to stop herself from falling into Ulquiorra's trap and...

A nuzzle on her leg forced Orihime to snap from her thoughts, and the girl looked to her side only to stare directly at a white puppy. Gently, she bent down, and grabbed the small dog before putting it on her lap, her eyes locked with its dark orbs.

As she closed her eyes, Orihime moved the puppy closer to her face, and rested the tip of her nose against the top of its head. A thunder echoed outside again, this time closer to her house, and Shiro barked as a reaction.

"Don't worry, you're safe." Orihime told the dog in a soft tone, and she cradled the puppy in her arms when lighting flashed in the skies. In spite of her gesture, Shiro barked again, and Orihime decided that it would probably be better if she closed the curtains.

Carefully in order not to drop Shiro, the young woman raised her right hand, and pushed the curtain to the side but not before she glanced one last time at the rain. Curious, even though she now did mind the darkness a little bit, Orihime could not help but feel as if the melody of the raindrops was trying to comfort her.

"I guess it's time for us to go to bed." Orihime commented as she looked down at Shiro, who barked in reply, and the girl could not help but smile at the cute puppy. Still without putting Shiro down, Orihime turned the lights off before she sat down on her futon. Only then did she release Shiro only to watch as the puppy ran towards his own bed, which was located next to the sofa.

Still smiling lightly, Orihime laid down on the futon, and covered herself up to her shoulders. It was only then that the young woman was forced to recognize other thing.

Hitsugaya Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku, due to their injuries, were no longer living with her.

She was all alone yet again.

At the thought, Orihime wrapped her arms around her pillow, her eyes locked with Shiro's still form. She guessed that was something she would have to grow used to again; loneliness. Funny, before that word had never bothered her...at least not to the point of making her shiver in discomfort, but now...after everything she had went through with her friends, Orihime simply could not help but find loneliness bittersweet.

Quietly, Orihime turned around, and stared directly at her brother's picture while another thunder echoed outside.

"Onii-san," the young woman whispered without raising her head from the pillow, her eyes reflecting the turmoil she was struggling to lock inside of her soul, "I know I deserve it, but...is it bad if I suddenly dislike being alone?"

Long minutes later when only the sound of rain could be heard, singing softly outside, Orihime turned to her side in her sleep. A frown appeared on her face as she closed the hand that was lying next to her pillow into a loosen fist.

A bloodcurdling roar echoed through the already troubled mind of the sleeping girl. Mumbling incomprehensive words, Orihime started trashing on her bed as memories of what could only be described as a beast emerged from the depths of her nightmares.

The face of a skull started gaining form as fear started to become more and more real in the shape of bullets of sweat. Drips of blood started falling upon the skull, resembling to a cursed rain.

Gasping, Orihime finally noticed that the skull was connected to a body; a battered and torn figure that was devastatingly familiar. It was also when the entire body became visible that the girl noticed what the figure was holding in its right hand; a _zanpakutou_…a black _zanpakutou_…

"Inoue…" a guttural voice called out, and the young woman stared at the skull, her eyes expecting to find two onyx-black holes, vacant of any eyeballs. It was with another gasp, and a raise of her hand towards her lips that Orihime noticed that a pair of brown eyesstared back at her.

A pair of startling eyes that she knew too well…

"Inoue…" the skull called out again, but the girl simply kept her eyes widened in both horror and shock as she continued staring at the pair of brown eyes. That could not be…that had to be some sort of dream…

"Inoue-san…" another voice whispered, and Orihime turned to her side only to press her hand even harder against her parted lips. Another familiar figure was kneeling on the floor, a puddle of a thick, crimson liquid next to it. He was missing his left hand…

Before Orihime could think of something…anything to do or say, three other voices called out for her. Spinning around on her heels, the girl looked behind her only to feel tears prickling the side of her eyes when her gaze fell upon three other familiar faces.

They all looked so exhausted…at the brick of fainting. All of their visible skin was corrupted by all sorts of scars and burns…

"It's your fault…" one of them hissed all of a sudden, and Orihime felt her heart skip an agonizing beat at that confession, "This is all your fault…"

"No…" the auburn haired girl whispered as she shook her head, her hand still pressed against her lips, "No…please….no…"

"It's your fault…" four voices echoed all of a sudden, and she started gazing at all of her friends, tears stinging the sides of her eyes as she frenetically shook her head, "It's all your fault…"

"No…please, I didn't mean to…"

"Inoue…"

The girl's heart came to a stop when an excruciating familiar voice managed to echo above all the others. Panicky, Orihime looked over her shoulder, and her tearing eyes widened when her attention focused on a pair of brown eyes.

"This is all your fault…"

"Kur—no!" Orihime exclaimed as she finally covered her ears with her hands, and closed her eyes shut as hard as she could. "I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you!"

"This is all your fault." the owner of the brown eyes continued, and Orihime had to fight back a sob at same time she struggled not to let her tears fall to the point when she was already quivering in despair. "You turned me into this…you killed me…"

"No!" Orihime shouted, pressing her hands even harder against her ears, "No, no, no!"

"And now it's time for you to pay." the voice continued, and Orihime raised her head at those words, drops of tears finally escaping from her eyes. It was with an inaudible gasp that the girl saw the beast raise its _zanpakutou_ so that the blade was pointing at her. "For you we bled, for us you shall die."

"No, please!" Orihime tried to say, but her words died on her throat when the beast unexpectedly raised the sword only to move it downwards at a remarkable speed…

…And the last thing Orihime saw were the two brown eyes that stared back at her, carrying no feeling, bearing no remorse.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted as she sat up straight, bullets of sweet rolling down her flushed cheeks as her eyes frantically darted around. When her brain finally grasped the fact that she was alone, in her house, and that all she had lived was nothing but a dream, Orihime let out a shaky breath.

Tears gradually started blurring her vision, and before Orihime could do something, she felt warm rivers flow down her cheeks. Raising her knees, the young woman pressed her legs against her chest before wrapping her arms around them. Sobbing, Orihime pressed her forehead against her knees; flashes of the nightmare she had just went through emerging from the back of her mind.

And as she cried, Orihime was vaguely aware of Shiro next to her, licking her exposed arm in a desperate attempt to console her just like she had done to him moments before.

* * *

The day was so glorious that it made one wonder how it had been possible for a battle to have taken place a few days before. The sky was clean of any clouds, and the day was abnormally warm for a wintery morning. Only the wind, which was icy, was the indication that spring was still a few months away.

One pair of eyes observed the brilliant heavens for a moment while the wind played with spiky orange streaks. It was really amazing how things quickly returned to normality...how people quickly adjusted to change, and simply continued with their lives...

Human beings were truly impressive creatures...

Shaking his head, Kurosaki Ichigo looked away from the sky, and looked at the building that emerged as soon as he turned on a corner. A couple of days ago he was fighting with all he had to bring his friends safe and sound from Las Noches, and now he was casually making his way to school like any other normal kid.

Ichigo had been about to walk through the open gates of the school when he sensed someone appear from behind him. Silently, and with his usual frown on his face, the young man looked over his shoulder only to smirk.

"Hey Chad." he greeted, but the tall Mexican boy simply nodded in return.

Quietly, the two boys made their way across the school's yard before they walked inside the main building. Voices, laughter and shrieks quickly surrounded them, but both Ichigo and Yasutora Sado ignored it all as they continued making their way towards their classroom.

"Good morning, Ichigooooo!" a voice shouted all of a sudden at same time a blur of white and brown rushed out of the classroom, and Ichigo immediately raised a fist. The orange haired boy did not even grimace when Asano Keigo crashed against his knuckles.

"G'morning, Keigo." was all Ichigo said as he lowered his hand, and stepped inside the classroom. Sado, who had observed everything, simply walked around Keigo, who was now lying on the floor, and quietly made his way inside the classroom as well.

"Keigo-san, you really should know better than to greet Kurosaki-kun that way." Mizurui commented as he appeared next to Keigo, his eyes locked with his cell-phone as he continued typing a text. Keigo, on the other hand, simply groaned in reply.

"Yoh, Ichigo!" Arisawa Tatsuki greeted when she saw her friend walk inside, a smile on her face. "Good morning, Sado! How are you two this morning?"

"Good, I guess. The usual..." Ichigo answered as he walked towards his desk, and put his school bag down. Then, as Tatsuki made her way towards his side, the boy looked around, "Say, where are Inoue and Ishida? They usually are already here when I arrive."

"Ah yeah, I dunno, they're probably just late." Tatsuki answered with a small shrug, and Ichigo gazed at her before he decided to pull his chair in order to sit down. However, before Ichigo could occupy his seat, both Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime walked inside the classroom.

It was natural, really, the way his eyes would always follow Orihime whenever she was within his range. He really did not do it in purpose, but now, especially after everything they had gone through, Ichigo simply found it impossible to look away whenever Orihime was close to him.

"Oh, good morning, Orihime! Hello Ishida!" Tatsuki greeted as she waved a hand in the air, and the two said students turned to her.

"Hello Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime greeted with a wide smile on her face as she continued grasping her school bag with both her hands, in front of her legs. "Have you seen how sunny today is? It just makes you want to crawl underneath a tree's shade, and take a nap, ne?"

"Orihime, if you sleep under a tree during winter, you'll freeze to death." Tatsuki pointed out, her eyebrows puckered in seriousness, and the auburn haired girl blinked at that for a moment. Then, before someone could say something else, Orihime rested a hand on the back of her head.

"Oh yeah, I forgot its still winter." she confessed with a nervous laugh, and while Tatsuki shook her head, Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly. Something weird was going on, and although it was almost imperceptible, it was still there. The problem was that he could not say what.

"Orihimeeeee!" a voice sing-sang from out of nowhere, and before someone could react, one pair of arms wrapped around Orihime's waist. Twitching, Tatsuki closed her right hand into a fist, and without even blinking she spun around, and punched Chizuru right on the chin.

"Will you just stop doing that?!" the tomboy practically yelled as Chizuru went flying across the classroom, and Orihime raised both her hands in the air.

"Ah Tatsuki-chan, you really shouldn't do that." the auburn haired girl started, a little nervously, "I really don't want you to get hurt while doing those things to Chizuru-chan."

"Oh, just stop it; every time I do it, it's just one more time I hope she'll break her skull!" Tatsuki growled as she continued glaring at Chizuru.

"All right class, settle down." a voice instructed all of a sudden, and everyone looked at the door of the classroom only to see their teacher walk inside. Immediately, everyone returned to their own seats, and welcomed the teacher with a bow before sitting down. "Ah, let's see if everyone's here."

As the teacher started calling everyone's names, one by one, Ichigo took the chance to gaze at the vacant desk next to his. Although he would never admit it out loud, the truth was that he missed Kuchiki Rukia and everybody else that was always behind her. Surprisingly he missed the commotion that all the _shinigami_ would do whenever they got together.

Ichigo wondered if they had all managed to overcome the problems that rose after Aizen's escape.

With his usual frown still on his face, Ichigo looked to his left through the corner of his eyes. Without drawing any attention to himself, the orange haired boy focused his attention on Orihime, and noticed that she was looking through the window.

Every since they had returned from Las Noches that Orihime had been behaving strangely. Although they had grown closer, the truth was that after his fight with Ulquiorra, something had happened to the usual joyful girl. Something that was not easy to see in naked eye, but that was still there...surrounding her...haunting her...taunting him...

Clenching his hands into fists unconsciously, Ichigo was forced to gaze at the teacher when she called out his name. Without bothering to speak, the boy raised his right fist in the air only to lower it when the teacher gazed his way. Frowning, Ichigo was just about to gaze at Orihime again when he noticed something.

He was not the only one who was watching the auburn haired girl.

Puckering his eyebrows in suspicion, Ichigo stared at Uryuu. If the Quincy had felt his gaze on him or not, Ichigo knew he would not find out, but still that did not change the fact he was suspicious about why Uryuu was staring at Orihime.

Without knowing why, Ichigo looked at the empty desk next to his, and narrowed his eyes. There was something fishy going on...something he did not understand, but that definitely was not going to stop him from doing his best to find out.

"Also, I have an announcement to make!" the teacher exclaimed after she finished checking if all the students were present, and everyone went silent, "Due to personal circumstances, your History teacher was forced to leave. Thankfully, a new teacher was found, and I was chosen to introduce her to you."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow slightly at that information, and even though the door of the classroom was still closed, the boy still looked at it. Moments later, all the students did the same while the teacher continued talking.

"Therefore, without having anything else to add, I'd like to introduce you to your new teacher." there was a moment of silence, and for some reason, Ichigo felt a shiver run up his spine when the door of the classroom was suddenly pushed aside. "Shinkai Hasu."

Then, one thought crossed Ichigo's mind.

_Oh, hell no._

**To Be Continued…**

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Okay people; I know some of you do not enjoy Original Characters, but the reason why I decided to keep Shinkai Hasu has to do with the fact that most readers appeared to enjoy her presence in Handprint in My Heart. And besides, having her in this story makes things easier… Also, even though I already have a few more chapters written down, I may take some time to update this story. Work is kind of taking a lot of my time, but I know you guys will understand if I take a little longer to update The Roar of Chains.

Oh, and for those who do not know, Shiro is a puppy that Orihime took in, in Handprint in My Heart.

Anyway, I promise I will do my best not to disappoint you guys. Thank you for the attention!


	2. Bleeding Reminiscences

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

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Okay, so I'm crazy for updating so soon, but I thought that since the first chapter was so short, you guys deserved this. Not only that but everyone who reviewed was so awesome with me that I just felt like I could post this. However, the next chapter may take a while to be posted although I have already written it.

Also, I want to thank all those who have read Welcome Home. I am so happy to know you guys enjoyed the story! I'm already working on the first chapter of the sequel, so please keep your fingers crossed!

Once again, thanks to everyone who found the time to let me know what they thought of the first chapter. I will work hard not to disappoint you!

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**Chapter 2**

Bleeding Reminiscences

Inoue Orihime truly did not know what she had done to find herself in that situation. All she recalled was watching as a familiar face re-introduced herself to the class as 'Shinkai-sensei' before she was told to abandon the classroom, and make her way to the staff room. And albeit Orihime had been confused by such order, she had done so by slowly standing up from her chair, vaguely noticing the various pair of eyes that had turned her way.

Orihime had been surprised too when Hasu had announced that she was going to accompany Orihime to the staff room. There had been no justification to that proclamation, as a matter of fact, Hasu had not given their teacher any chance to speak up because she had quickly turned around, and walked out of the classroom.

Hastily, and before someone could tell her anything, Orihime rushed to follow her new teacher while being cautious not to stumble on her own feet.

And that was why you could find Inoue Orihime standing by the door of the staff room, five minutes later, next to a stoic-looking Shinkai Hasu.

"Wait here," Hasu commanded, and Orihime only had time to nod before the older woman opened the door that lead to the staff room, and walked inside. As she impatiently waited for the permission to walk inside, Orihime clasped her hands behind her back, and started looking around. Although she was struggling not to think about it, the truth was that the girl simply could not ignore the strange sensation that was rising from the bottom of her stomach.

After all, what could Hasu be doing there?

"Come in."

Snapping from her thoughts, Orihime looked up only to see Hasu walking away from the door once again. Biting her lower lip, the girl bowed slightly before she walked inside the staff room only to notice that no one was there aside from Hasu and herself.

"Sit down."

Nodding, Orihime searched for a chair, and when she found it, she quickly sat down. Hasu, on the other hand, simply leaned against the closest desk, and crossed her arms against her chest. Nervously, Orihime stared at the older woman, and vaguely noticed that she was wearing a short skirt similar to the one she had worn during her first appearance.

"I take it you have no idea why I am here."

That was not a question, Orihime noticed, but the girl still shook her head in response.

"I am here because of you."

The orange haired girl felt her breath get stuck on her throat at those words, and although she was feeling apprehensive about the topic, Orihime managed to keep her eyes locked with Hasu's. Her hands, which she had carefully rested on her lap, were growing sweatier, and Orihime quickly entwined her fingers together to keep Hasu from seeing her nervous state.

"I am here because of what's going on with you."

"I..." Orihime swallowed hard, and internally winced when she noticed how dry her throat had become, "I don't understand. I-I mean...nothing's wrong with me..."

"Says you, but you don't expect me to believe in that, do you?" Hasu inquired, almost as if she had been expecting for Orihime to say that, and the younger girl looked away, "Anyway, I don't really give a damn about that. I was ordered to come here, and help you improve your powers."

"What?" Orihime blurted out as she raised her head in confusion, and Hasu elegantly crossed her right leg over her left one while keeping her arms folded against her chest, "Improve my powers? Why do I need to improve my powers?"

"So that what happened in the past does not happen again," Hasu responded, and Orihime winced when flashes from a past not so distant emerged from the back of her brain. "And I am not referring only to Aizen. I am talking about your powers as a whole."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand." Orihime confessed before biting her lower lip in nervousness, "After everything that happened, why focus on me? I-I mean, there are other people who need more support, while I...I don't have any scars from what happened back...in that place..."

For a few seconds all Hasu did was staring at Orihime with a straight face. Then, before the auburn haired girl could even think of something else to say, Hasu stood up, and approached the student, who felt anxiety erupt from the bottom of her stomach once more. Then, before Orihime could even try to understand what was going on, Hasu raised a hand, and flicked the girl on the forehead.

"Have you never heard, Inoue Orihime, that the worst kind of scar that exists is the one you cannot see?" Hasu asked as she stared at Orihime right in the eye, and the girl promptly rested a hand on her forehead. The flick sure had hurt. "Those are the scars you should be worrying about. Leave the physical wounded to the ones who can mend bones."

"B-But..."

"You can only accept your faith," Hasu continued as she crossed her arms against her chest again while Orihime continued rubbing her forehead, "And I must warn you that the surprises have not ended. I am not the only one who's going to keep an eye on you."

"What do you mean, Shinkai-sensei?" Orihime asked as she slowly dropped her hand from her forehead, but before Hasu could even part her lips to answer, the door of the staff room was opened. A tall, brooding man stood there, holding a thick Chemistry book with his right hand while a pair of square glasses protected his eyes.

"Excuse me," was all he said before he stepped inside, and made his way towards his desk.

"You are excused," Hasu spoke all of a sudden, and Orihime tore her eyes away from the Chemistry teacher to gaze at the woman that was standing in front of her. When she noticed the way Hasu was staring at her, Orihime stood up from the chair, and bowed deeply.

"Please, excuse me!" she exclaimed, and when Hasu nodded at her, Orihime practically stormed out of the staff room, but not before closing the door behind her. And the girl did not stop running until she finally reached the staircase that would lead her to the floor where her classroom was.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, Orihime stopped walking, and rested a hand against her chest. Lowering her gaze, the girl's once befuddled mask was replaced by a cheerless frown, and Orihime felt tempted to simply sit down on top of the stairs.

Shinkai Hasu was back, and all because of her.

Sighing despondently, Orihime rested her free hand against the wall next to her, her eyes reflecting the melancholy the girl struggled to keep locked in the depths of her soul. With Hasu back, Orihime knew it was going to become difficult for her not to show her fears…

…With Shinkai Hasu back, Inoue Orihime knew that it would be harder for her to keep her bright and breezy mask up all the time.

* * *

Stare.

Eat.

Stare.

Drink.

Stare.

Glance.

Stare.

Sigh.

Stare.

"Is there anything you want to ask, Kurosaki?" Ishida Uryuu finally asked as he put his bento down, but the orange haired boy just continued staring at him, a deep scowl his face, "I know you're curious, but your staring is beginning to irritate me."

"Shut up. I'm not looking at you." Ichigo answered, and Uryuu raised his eyes to stare at the orange haired boy, both his eyebrows rose slightly, "I mean I'm looking through you, and thanks to your big mouth I lost my trail of thought."

"Well, that's a first, since you never think about anything." the last Quincy declared, a smug smile on his face, "You always prefer to do everything head on to think about a plan. Shall I even ask what you're thinking about?"

"What do you think?" Ichigo asked back, and this time Sado, who had been watching his friends in silence while eating his own lunch, stopped what he was doing to hear the answer. "I'm thinking about Shinkai! And Inoue! I mean, the fact she's back just annoys me!"

"Ah, so we're talking about Inoue-san." Uryuu pointed out, "That's an interesting change of events."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo almost roared; his eyes blazing with anger, "I said I was thinking about Shinkai and Inoue! By the way you talked it seems as if I usually don't give a damn about Inoue."

"Ah, on the contrary, I do know you care for Inoue-san." Uryuu corrected as he lightly shook his head. "I just can't help it if you have been an idiot lately, and completely forgot what you did in the past."

"Do you mind being more clear? Your way of going around the bush is beginning to irritate me." Ichigo threatened, and Uryuu smirked haughtily at him before he shrugged in a nonchalant way.

"The thing is that we all miss Kuchiki-san," the last Quincy declared, "but apparently, the fact she's no longer around us has been clouding your judgment."

"What the—?"

"I believe that what Ishida is trying to say is that we all know that Kuchiki Rukia is fine, even though she's in Soul Society." Sado spoke up all of a sudden, and Ichigo turned to him, "However, on contrary of Kuchiki Rukia, there are certain people who are in need of some help."

"The fact Shinkai-san has returned proves that much." Uryuu continued when Sado trailed off, and Ichigo's frown grew deeper, "I know you have noticed it too, Kurosaki; how changed Inoue-san is. But the thing is that just noticing those changes isn't enough; sometimes you have to act too."

"Are you saying that I don't do anything?" Ichigo hissed through gritted teeth, his hands clenching into tight fists, "Did you forget that we all went to Las Noches to bring Inoue back? Did you forget who we fought against to make sure she was all right?"

"But that happened in Las Noches," Uryuu declared, and Ichigo immediately went silent, "What's happening at the moment is what you should be worrying about now. After all, no matter how hard I try, I am not you, and therefore, I cannot understand certain things."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked as he recalled how Uryuu and Orihime had arrived at school together, "Do you know something I don't?"

"That is for you to find out," Uryuu responded as he reached out for his bento again, and grabbed his chopsticks with his right hand, "And it's also your turn to do something about it."

Six hours after that talk, Kurosaki Ichigo could be found lying on his bed, his arms crossed behind his head. His scowl had grown deeper after his talk with Uryuu and Sado, and although he had done his best not to expose how much the topic had bothered him, the truth was that Ichigo could not ignore it.

After all, even though he hated to admit it, the truth was that Uryuu was right; something had changed after their return from Las Noches. Everyone had grown even closer...everyone had become even stronger...everyone had become masters in masking their feelings...

...And Ichigo knew that Orihime was no different.

Closing his eyes, Ichigo took a deep breath, and allowed for his mind to go back in time. However, his mind instead of returning to the moment when Ulquiorra had faded away in ash before his eyes, Ichigo found himself standing in front of Ulquiorra, his feet no longer touching the ground.

And then Ulquiorra's voice echoed through his mind...

_You're just in time. Watch closely. This is the moment the man you've put your hope in will lose his life._

And then, in the mist of the piercing darkness that suddenly swallowed him whole, Ichigo heard Orihime's scream.

_Help me, Kurosaki-kun!_

A burst of power started pulsating through Ichigo's veins, and the young man let out a gasp of surprise. He had never felt such power before...it was so lusciously feral that all Ichigo wanted was to raise his hand, and grasp such intimidating supremacy with both his hands.

However, before Ichigo could even think about drowning in such scrumptious obscurity, he felt something connect with his cheek.

"Ichigo!" a voice cried out, and the orange haired boy snapped his eyes open in surprise. Before his brain could even process what had just happened, his own voice echoed from the back of his mind, tickling his ears.

_She's calling me. I will protect her._

"Ichigo, snap out of it!"

Reality finally hit the substitute _shinigami_, and Ichigo blinked as his body finally started responding to what was surrounding him. The first thing he felt was his left cheek burning badly before he noticed the shadow that was standing next to the bed.

"Rukia!" he gasped in bewilderment, his eyes widening even more in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here? What the hell were _you_ trying to do just now?" the _shinigami_ asked as she crossed her arms against her chest, and Ichigo unhurriedly sat down on his bed. Shivers run down his body as the claws of the power he had felt before vanished from his system, "Your reiatsu practically exploded!"

"My reiatsu?" Ichigo asked as he stared confusedly at the petite woman, and then he shook his head, "But nothing happened. Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"Is the fact that I know your cheek is burning just my imagination too?" Rukia hissed back, and Ichigo mechanically raised a hand towards the left side of his face. "I know what I felt! Why do you think I rushed to get here? I wasn't planning on coming back so soon!"

"Wait, when did you get here, exactly?" Ichigo asked, "In fact, what are you doing here?"

"You really need to work on your welcoming manners." Rukia pointed out, her arms still folded against her chest, "And I came here because I was ordered by my Captain. According to Captain Ukitake, I have to keep an eye on you a while longer."

"What the hell...?"

"That's what you get for being such a troublesome guy." Rukia retorted before Ichigo could finish what he was just about to say. "But before you start cursing again, let me tell you I'm not the only one who has returned to the real world."

"Yeah, I know, I already saw Shinkai." Ichigo responded with a short nod, "I don't really get it why she's here, but still, I saw her. It was the most unpleasant surprise I could ever get."

"Ah, but you haven't seen the last of it." Rukia commented, and Ichigo stared weirdly at her, "Let me rephrase what I said before; Shinkai and I are not the only ones who have come back to the real world."

"Should I even ask?"

"You could, but I'm not going to spoil the fun." Rukia replied, the corner of her lips curling upwards into a smirk. Ichigo, on the other hand, could not help but let out a groan as he tried to think of who else could have returned to the real world.

He guessed that since Rukia was there, Renji was bond to show up as well.

"Anyway, one thing is for certain," Rukia continued, and Ichigo snapped from his thoughts to gaze at her. The smirk the girl had once shown him had been replaced by a solemn frown, "This is going to get serious soon, so you better get ready."

Ichigo's eyes darkened at that.

* * *

It was with quiet steps that Orihime walked inside her house, but before she could even think about closing the door behind her, Shiro appeared from out of nowhere, and rushed in direction of her feet. Smiling as the puppy ran around her legs, Orihime managed to close the door before she bent down on her knees, and started playing with the puppy.

"I missed you too, Shiro-chan." the auburn haired girl giggled as she started rubbing the puppy's tummy since it was now lying on the floor, on its back. "Have you eaten already? Because if you haven't, I can always give you some red beans!"

Shiro simply barked in reply before it jumped back to its feet.

Smiling at the puppy's antics, Orihime put her school bag down, next to the front door before she took her shoes off. Then, without bothering to change into more comfortable clothes, the girl made her way towards the kitchen only to let out a yelp in surprise when her eyes fell upon a familiar face.

"Hey Orihime!"

"Rangiku-san!" the girl gasped, her eyes widened in both surprise and shock, and the older woman smiled at her as she waved a hand in the air, "W-What are you doing here? How...how did you get inside my house? Ah, wait! I thought you were still in recovery!"

"Well, I came in through the door, what did you expect?" Rangiku inquired as she made a strange face, and Orihime blushed faintly at that. "And also, I'm fine. Captain Unohana does miracles you know? And before you even ask, let me tell you I'm not the only one who has decided to come."

"Eh? Who else is here?" Orihime asked, but as soon as that question left her lips, Shiro rushed out of the kitchen. In confusion, but not before she glanced one last time at Rangiku, who simply motioned for her to follow the puppy with a hand, Orihime turned around, and left the kitchen.

"Shiro?" the auburn haired girl asked as she looked around, and when a bark reached her ears, the girl looked to her side. Blinking, she noticed that Shiro had rushed to the living-room, and without thinking twice, Orihime started walking towards the open door.

"Ne, Shiro..." Orihime trailed off when she looked inside the living-room, and her eyes widened when she spotted her puppy resting on the lap of an annoyed looking Hitsugaya Toshiro. Immediately, the girl raised a hand to her lips. "Ah, Toshiro-kun!"

"Mind telling him to get off?" was all the white haired man said, his right eyebrow twitching as he glared at the puppy, who simply snuggled against his legs. Still with her hand pressed against her lips, Orihime struggled not to smile at the scene in front of her, but before she could even move, Rangiku appeared next to her, and then there was a flash.

"How cute!" the female _shinigami_ squealed, and while Orihime wondered where Rangiku had found the camera, Toshiro stared angrily at his Lieutenant.

"Matsumoto..." he growled, his narrowed eyes never leaving Rangiku's face, "You better destroy that thing..."

"No can do," the other _shinigami_ started as she shook her head, "You see, I promised Hinamori I'd give her one picture."

"Matsumoto..." Toshiro practically roared, and Rangiku let out a squeal before she rushed out of the living-room, taking the camera with her. Blinking, Orihime looked away from the now empty spot next to her, where Rangiku had once stood, before she turned to the Captain of the Tenth Division.

"Ne, Toshiro-kun, why are you here?" she decided to ask as she clasped her hands against her back, and the young man stared at her with the usual serious expression on his face, "I mean, I already saw Shinkai-sensei, and she said that other people would come too—"

The girl trailed off when memories of her conversation with Hasu emerged from the back of her mind, and her eyes quickly widened in realization. Staring at Toshiro, who simply looked back at her, Orihime's mouth dropped into a small 'o'.

"You're the ones Shinkai-sensei said that would come to the real world!" she exclaimed all of a sudden, but Toshiro did not even bother to nod at that statement, "But why? I mean, is there...is there something going to happen?"

If Toshiro had noticed the way her voice had grown smaller, the Captain did not reveal it, but Orihime still looked away as she pondered about that possibility. Could it be that Aizen had decided to make an appearance again? That could not be; they were not ready for a new war...

"Inoue, control yourself." Orihime looked up at those words, and watched as Toshiro grabbed Shiro with both his hands, and stood up from the sofa. Carefully, the Captain put the puppy on the sofa, ignoring the way Shiro had whined at the movement. Then, Toshiro turned to Orihime again, "This is not about Aizen."

"Then why are you here, Toshiro-kun?" the auburn haired girl asked at same time she tilted her head to the side, and the Captain crossed his arms against his chest.

"Because inner wars are worst that facing _zanpakutos_ and seeing blood splattering everywhere..."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Okay, since someone asked me about Hasu I decided to leave here a little bit of information about her.

**Original Character:** Shinkai Hasu; _shinigami_, the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division. She has pale skin, waist length black hair and navy blue eyes. The picture for this character is available, if someone's interested feel free to ask for it.

If you have any more doubts, feel free to add them to your review.


	3. The Wars Within Ourselves

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot**  
**

* * *

I want to thank **Star-In-The-Sky-25**, **ex-arnye**, **Samebito Ryu**, **SLTora**, **NotebookPaper** and **GryffindorHyuuga** for your support. You guys are awesome. Thank you for giving _The Roar of Chains_ a chance.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**The Wars Within Ourselves

She was staring at his unmoving body again, fat tears rolling down her dirty cheeks. Her whole body ached in pain while her heart was bleeding on the inside. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins like an untamed volcano, but she ignored all that as she continued staring at his still body.

In the middle of his chest, in all its glory, was a round hole that had ran through his entire torso. Blood had been plastered all over the wound while his eyes...his eyes were wide open, reflecting the nothingness of his soul, and yet his expression still showed his shock.

He, just like her, had not been expecting that ferocious attack.

Tears were still streaming down her face, her eyes also widened in horror as thoughts ran through her mind at full speed. She was in such commotion that she could barely hear herself thinking. All she seemed to think was: _what should I do?_

But before she could find an answer to her question, drops of blood flew through the air, and she turned to her side. A blur of white rushed past her, and her heart almost stopped beating when she realized who that was, and why blood had stained the air around her.

Uryuu...

...And he was missing his left hand...

Orihime let out an inaudible gasp in her sleep, Shiro sleeping not too far away from her futon, on his own little bed. The rest of the house was quiet; not even the presence of two other people in the house could be felt. That was the hour for the shadows to rein every corner...to swallow every sparkle of life that dared to shiver under the low temperatures of the night.

_Don't worry. I've already used anaesthesia and stopped the bleeding... Inoue-san...you take care of Kurosaki._

A groan escaped from Orihime's lips as she reflexively closed her hands into tight fists. Flashes of Uryuu's fight against Ulquiorra quickly consumed her mind until she saw her friend falling onto the ground. Even then...even when Uryuu had been struggling to keep all of them alive, he had told her to watch over Ichigo...

Even when he was facing his own death, he had wanted to protect her, and make sure that she took care of Ichigo instead of aiding him in battle.

She was that weak...

...And she had proven herself that when she had parted her lips, and screamed on top of her lungs.

_Help me, Kurosaki-kun!_

And as soon as those words echoed through her mind, a beast with horns emerged from the darkness of her memories. The hole was still in the middle of its chest, making it clear of who existed behind the bestial mask, but all Orihime did was let out a weak 'huh?'.

And it was then that a hoarse voice...a voice that crawled all its way to her very core, echoed through her mind.

_...You. Help you. I'll help you._

His transformation had been her fault. She knew it. She was aware of it, and that was exactly why she could not stop herself from crying in pain and torment.

"I'm so sorry..." she sobbed without bothering to wipe away her tears, her eyes locked with the creature in front of her, "I'm so, so sorry... It's all my fault... This is all my fault..."

"Inoue..." the same male voice called out, and the girl looked up, tears rolling down her mucky cheeks, and she widened her eyes in surprise when she saw that the beast in front of her was now holding a black _zanpakutou_. "This is all your fault..."

A new sob escaped from Orihime's lips, and the girl fell on her knees as she covered her face with her hands.

"For you, I bled," the beast continued, and the auburn haired girl continued weeping into her hands. She did not need to look up to know what was going to happen next. She had already heard the sound of his zanpakutou being raised into the air, "And for me, you shall die."

And then came the sound of a blade cutting the air, and Orihime, although still crying, waited for the moment when all would be over.

"Orihime!"

The auburn haired girl let out a gasp at same time she sit up straight on her bed, the tears that were running down her cheeks getting mixed with the bullets of sweat that were rolling down her flushed face. With eyes wide open, the girl looked around her, and her nervous heart skipped a beat when her orbs met a pair of sky blue ones.

"Rangiku-san!" Orihime gasped, and before she could stop herself, she launched her arms around the _shinigami_, and started crying. Although it took Rangiku a couple of seconds to understand that Orihime had her face pressed against her lap, the older woman smiled forlornly at her before she rested her hands on the girl's shoulders.

As she smoothed Orihime's back, Rangiku looked to her side, and saw Toshiro standing by the door of the living-room, hands stuck inside his pants' pockets. The solemn frown was back to his face, his eyebrows puckered in seriousness, and when their eyes met, Rangiku nodded.

Nodding back, Toshiro turned his back to his Lieutenant, and walked away.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was sitting quietly on his bed, his right knee raised as he continued looking through the window next to him. Rukia had disappeared inside his closet again, and was most likely already sleeping since Ichigo could not hear any sound coming from her so-called bed.

Ichigo, on the other hand, could not sleep. He had tried to, but every time he closed his eyes, and dropped his walls, flashes of past battles would consume all of his thoughts.

He simply could not forget them, no matter what.

And then there was Orihime…

Closing his eyes, Ichigo pinched the top of his nose before taking a deep breath in. He could still see her, standing on top of the dome, with half of her clothes ripped. And he also recalled the way she had looked so torn, shattered...in unexplained pain...

And the thing was that no matter what he did Ichigo simply could not come up with an explanation to why Orihime had looked as if she was in so much pain at the time. He could not come up with a reason to why Orihime had looked so miserable when he had departed to go help Rukia and the others defeating Yammy.

Pinching the top of his noise again, Ichigo dropped his hand, and rested his elbow on top of his knee. Silently, he stared outside, at the cold wintry night, his mind now focused on his auburn haired friend.

Unconsciously, Ichigo rested his left hand against his chest, and pressed it firmly against his torso. He almost shuddered when he recalled the moment when he had been swallowed by the power of his hollow side. A power he had never experienced before that had scared him in a way. After all, that same power had led him to injury Uryuu, and that was something Ichigo would never forget...

And to think that it had been Orihime's cry out for help that had lead him to feel such power...

How..._why_ had her scream affected him to that extreme?

_I...will get stronger. Next time, I will definitely...protect you._

His promise...

Letting out an inaudible sigh, Ichigo laid down on his bed, his eyes focusing on the ceiling in a matter of seconds. His promise... Ichigo remembered it well... He recalled what had lead him to vow such thing, and he had yet to regret it...

...But still...had his wish to protect her lead him to transform into such thing?

"What are you doing awake?" a voice inquired all of a sudden, and Ichigo snapped from his thoughts only to stare directly at his closet. Not surprisingly, Rukia had pushed the door aside, and was looking at him with a frown on her face. "You should be resting."

"Why aren't _you_ sleeping?" Ichigo asked back, and Rukia narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion.

"Don't start thinking about things, Ichigo. Let us take care of what's going on." she advised, "Just rest. Tomorrow we have classes."

"_We_ have classes?" Ichigo repeated, and when Rukia nodded, he let out a sigh, "Just what I needed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the _shinigami_ questioned as she raised an eyebrow, but Ichigo simply waved a hand as if to dismiss her question before he turned to his side so that he was facing the window again. "Hey, don't turn your back at me when I'm talking to you."

"Just follow your own advise, and go to sleep." Ichigo retorted as he pulled his cover up to his neck. Then, although he heard Rukia mumble something under her breath before she closed the door of the closet, Ichigo simply pretended to be asleep.

However, instead of closing his eyes, Ichigo kept staring through the window, memories of him and Orihime at Las Noches haunting his mind.

* * *

The morning came too soon for some, but despite the drowsy faces that some students were revealing to their friends, everyone still made their way to Karakura High School dressed up in their winter uniforms. Among the mass of students was easily to spot an auburn haired girl, who was carrying her school bag with both her hands, in front of her legs.

The girl's eyes were locked with her feet, a tired frown on her face, and she was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the figure that appeared in front of her.

"Ow!" Orihime cried out when she run straight into someone's back, and she stumbled backwards while pressing a hand to her nose. She would have fallen backwards too, had a hand not shot from out of nowhere, and grabbed her by the elbow.

"Are you okay, Inoue-san?"

Looking upwards, Orihime stared directly into a pair of blue eyes. Quickly, she dropped her hand from her nose, and smiled apologetically before bowing.

"I'm sorry, Ishida-kun, I wasn't looking to where I was going." she apologized before raising her head, and her friend shook his head before dropping his hand.

"That's okay. I shouldn't have stopped so abruptly." he said, a small smile on his face, which Orihime returned, "Would you like to go to school with me?"

"Sure, why not?" Orihime asked back as she chuckled, and the two of them quietly started making their way towards school. "So, how are you today, Ishida-kun?"

"I'm all right. Thank you for asking." the boy answered with a short nod, "What about you?"

"Ah, I'm okay." Orihime answered, still with the same smile on her face. It was then that she looked down, and blinked when she looked straight at Uryuu's hand. Without even thinking about her actions, Orihime reached out for it. "How's your hand?"

Instead of answering, Uryuu just watched as Orihime observed his left hand with care. Her eyes were scanning every inch of skin, almost as if she was trying to find anything that could be wrong with his hand. When she found nothing, Orihime looked up at him again, her smile slightly wider.

"It's okay, isn't it?" she inquired before her smile was replaced by a worried frown, "It doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No, no, not at all," Uryuu reassured her as he shook his head, and Orihime started inspecting his hand again, "It's good as new, and I mean it. Your power is truly a blessing, Inoue-san, and I thank you for taking care of me."

Orihime's expression grew sombre as she stopped checking his hand, but she continued to hold it carefully.

"It was the least I could do..." she whispered, and Uryuu tilted his head to the side at that comment. However, before he could even part his lips to speak, a new voice echoed from behind them.

"What's going on here?"

Looking behind Uryuu, Orihime found herself staring directly into a pair of brown orbs. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized who it was, and for a split of a second, Orihime forgot all sbout her surroundings. Thankfully, Uryuu was quite aware of what was going on, and spoke up.

"Good morning, Kurosaki." he greeted with a faint nod, and he felt Orihime letting go of his hand although her eyes were locked with Ichigo's form. "How are you today?"

"I actually brought a surprise." Ichigo answered, but before someone could even think about asking about what was going on, Kuchiki Rukia appeared from behind the tall orange haired boy.

"Kuchiki-san!" Uryuu exclaimed in surprise while Orihime raised a hand to her lips, her eyes widening a little bit more in shock. Memories of her nightmares started consuming her thoughts almost immediately, but the girl struggled to ignore it all.

"Kuchiki-san..." Orihime whispered while the petite girl smiled widely at them.

"It's nice to see you all again." she said, "And it's great to see you're all okay."

"How are you?" Uryuu asked, and Orihime vaguely heard Rukia answer him as she focused her attention on Ichigo again. Despite of everything, she could not forget about the nightmare she had had on the previous night nor she could forget how hard she had cried into Rangiku's lap.

_It's your fault..._

Unconsciously, Orihime gave one small step backwards, her eyes still locked with Ichigo's form.

_For you, I bled. For me, you shall die._

Her stomach flip-flopped at those memories, and for a moment Orihime felt as if she was about to spill all of her breakfast in the middle of the road. She guessed she would have done just that had another voice not spoken from behind her.

"So, you have arrived as well, Kuchiki-san."

"Shinkai..." was all Rukia said as she stared at the tall woman that was standing behind Orihime and Uryuu, "I see you weren't interested in wasting time planning a proper plan. You decided to present yourself as a teacher, and not inform us."

"I saw no reason to inform you." Hasu declared, "It would make no sense for me to return to the school as a student when I presented myself as a teacher in the past. Also, it's not my fault that you decided to wait for a few days before revealing yourself."

"Why you...?"

"That aside, I assume you are interested in arriving at school on time." Hasu proceeded, completely ignoring the way Rukia was glaring at her, and she then stared down at her watch. "You have exactly four minutes to get to school. And may I remind you that your first class is with me, and that I won't be benign with you if you're late."

With those words, Hasu turned around, and continued with her walk towards Karakura High School. When she finally disappeared on a corner, Rukia threw her arms in the air.

"Sometimes, I cannot help but hate her."

"You and I both," Ichigo agreed, and while Uryuu simply let out a sigh, Orihime simply continued staring at the corner where Hasu had disappeared. It could not be, but Hasu had appeared right when she had been about to make a complete fool of herself. Could it be that Hasu had known? No, that was not possible...

"Oi, Inoue! Are you coming?" Ichigo called out all of a sudden, and the auburn haired girl snapped from her thoughts only to see that her friends were already making their way towards school. Nodding, Orihime went after them only to slow her pace down when she finally reached Uryuu's side.

"So, what brought you to the real world this time, Kuchiki-san?" Uryuu inquired as he pushed his glasses up his nose, and Orihime looked away at that question. For some reason, she was really not that interested in hearing the reply.

"Nothing you should worry about." Rukia answered, "Seireitei just wants to make sure everything has returned to normal, that's all."

"I don't know if you have noticed it, but every time you tell us that," Ichigo started as he threw his school bag over his shoulder, "we all end up trying to save each others' asses in battle."

* * *

Silently, Yasutora Sado looked up from the exercise he was supposed to be doing, and stared at the back of the orange haired boy that was sitting in front of him. Since his dark locks were covering his orbs, Sado knew that not even the teacher would realize that he was not paying attention to the exercise.

After observing as Ichigo scratched the top of his head for a few seconds, Sado glanced at the petite girl that was sitting next to his friend. When she had first walked inside the classroom, Rukia had been greeted with squeals and shrieks mainly from the female students, who had missed her dearly.

Her presence there was both smoothing and disquieting. After all, if Rukia had been sent to the real world to watch over them after the last war then that could only mean that something was going on… Something that everyone from Seireitei made sure to keep a secret, and that would most likely result in a very troublesome situation in the future.

Then, Sado glanced to his left side, and settled his attention on a particular auburn haired girl. Not surprisingly, Orihime was staring through the window next to her, both her hands resting on her desk. She clearly had not even noticed that they were supposed to do the exercise the teacher had written on the blackboard.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Sado glanced at Ichigo again, and noticed that his friend was observing Orihime as well. There was a strange look on Ichigo's face, Sado quickly noticed, a look that was rarely seen for there was no scowl, no frown...there was simply the look of someone who had lost something great...something important and irreplaceable...

At the beginning, Sado had thought that Orihime and Ichigo's behaviour had to do with something that had happened at the dome, during Ichigo's fight against Ulquiorra. He had even once asked Uryuu about it, but when the last Quincy had said that everything was all right when it obviously was not, Sado had decided that something quite serious had happened.

However, the problem was that none of his friends was willing to talk. Sado knew for a fact that Ichigo had not said anything to Rukia too; after all, if he had, then Rukia would not be observing Ichigo at the moment, through the corner of her eyes, just like he was.

Glancing down at the math problem he was supposed to finish, Sado grasped his pencil, but instead of answering the question that he had scribbled on the paper, he looked at Ichigo again. Then, he gazed at Orihime, who was still staring through the window.

Since Ichigo was in front of him, Sado could not see Uryuu at all since the Quincy was sitting on the first row. However, for some reason, Sado knew that Uryuu was most likely watching someone as well, and albeit he could not be sure, Sado guessed that Uryuu was observing Orihime. And that meant that everyone was watching someone, except for Orihime, who was clearly too lost in her own thoughts to realize that she was being watched by someone.

Shaking his head lightly, Sado was about to start working on the math exercise when he realized that one pair of purple eyes was watching him. Confusedly, the boy raised his head slightly, and noticed that Rukia was still staring at him. Not knowing what else to do, Sado simply nodded, and saw Rukia faintly nod back at him before she focused her attention on the math problem as well.

Blinking, Sado did the same, his eyes finding the formula he was supposed to complete in a matter of seconds. Things definitely were not the same as they had been before the war, and even though Sado had never expected them to be, the truth was that he wished he knew what was going on. Ever since Ichigo had returned from his fight with Ulquiorra that things had not been the same.

And all Yasutora Sado wanted was to know why... Why did they all look as if they were fighting wars within themselves?

...But the truth was that on that moment neither Sado nor anyone else knew that they would not have what it took to handle the answer to that haunting question.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Okay, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I also hope you like the way I'm dealing with Orihime, Ichigo, and everybody else. Thank you for the attention!


	4. The Lullaby of Pain

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**SLTora**_, _**ex-arnye**_, _**GryffindorHyuuga**_ and _**NotebookPaper**_ for all of the support you have shown so far. I am really happy to know you're enjoying this story. I promise I will do my best to not disappoint you. Thank you so much for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The Lullaby of Pain

Shinkai Hasu watchfully observed the scene in front of her, her arms crossed against her chest while her long tresses were blowing at the wind. No one had noticed her, mostly because she had her reiatsu completely hidden, and also because she had made sure that no one would sense her. That had been the main reason why she had chosen to stand on the rooftop of the building across from the school building.

From the rooftop she had a clear view over the spot Kurosaki Ichigo and the others always occupied during lunch. Also, by being there, she would be able to talk to the person she was waiting for without having people eavesdropping their conversation.

With a blank expression on her face, Hasu observed as the group of students continued eating. At the moment, Rukia was the one talking while Ichigo would occasionally interrupt her to say something as well. Rarely were the moments when Uryuu would speak up as well while both Sado and Orihime stood silent as they enjoyed their lunch hour at same time they listened to their friends.

Well, at least that was what would have looked like to anyone that glanced their way, but Hasu knew better. Albeit it was obvious that Rukia, Ichigo, Uryuu and even Sado were doing their best to behave as if everything was normal, it was clear that Orihime was having troubles doing the same. True, she would always laugh and say something whenever someone addressed to her, but she would always return to her shell when no one talked to her.

Hasu had noticed it. Rukia had noticed it. Heck, even Ichigo had noticed it, but the problem was that no one knew what to do in order to amend the current situation. That not to mention Hasu was conscious that aside from Rukia no one knew about the presence of two other _shinigami_ in the real world.

Raising a hand towards her ear, Hasu pushed a dark lock away from her eyes, and she was about to cross her arms against her chest when she sensed someone behind her. Calmly, the _shinigami_ looked over her shoulder, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're late."

"Ah, I apologize, but I did not manage to leave sooner." a male voice answered, and Hasu turned to her side, and folded her arms against her chest. "But I am here now. Would you mind telling me what your plan is?"

"It's payback time." Hasu answered, a serious mask on her face, "We helped you, and now you hep us. It's as simple as that. However, you are to do everything in a place chosen by Seireitei."

"Ah, so you are really interested in this." the man said as he clasped his hands in front of his legs, but Hasu did not say anything in reply, "Very well. I shall honour our part of the deal. Please, tell me what you expect me to do, and I shall do it."

After staring at the newcomer for a few more seconds, Hasu looked in direction of Ichigo and the others, her eyes quickly settling on Inoue Orihime, who was shaking her head while looking at Uryuu. She looked so innocent, so naive...they all did, and yet they were the ones who went to bed every night, and were prisoners of a lullaby of pain that hushed them to sleep every night.

"Listen carefully because I'm not going to repeat myself twice." Hasu ordered as she continued staring at the group of students, and the newcomer nodded before shifting closer to her. "And there better be no mistakes or it will be your head."

"Yes, I understand."

"Good."

Meanwhile, Ichigo was staring down at his tuna sandwich, his ears vaguely paying attention to what was going on around him. Ever since they had sat down that all of his friends had started asking Rukia about how things were on Seireitei. Was everyone all right? Did they need any sort of help? Was someone else coming to the real world?

And Rukia had answered all the question with nods and words. Yes, everyone was all right. Of course some had been forced to stay at the medical wing, but so far everyone was fine. No, they did not need any help. All _shinigami_ were working together in helping to double the security in the real world and also in soul society.

Also, there were two other _shinigami_ in the real world, who were living with Orihime (the auburn haired girl had snapped from her thoughts at her name, and had immediately said that Rangiku and Toshiro were with her), but that aside from them, and Hasu, no one else was there. Rukia had also said that she was not expecting anyone to show up any time soon, although she did have a feeling that Renji would most likely visit them in the future.

However, as Rukia started to give an update about all of their friends in soul society, Ichigo started to disconnect from reality. So, Toshiro and Rangiku were there as well, and they were living with Orihime. For some reason, Ichigo could not help but be suspicious of that decision. After all, last time Toshiro and Rangiku had been there, they had all ended up participating in battles in Las Noches and in the real world.

And that was why Ichigo could not help but think that something was going on...

_Oho. So you can withstand my cero even without your mask... You've gotten stronger. Is it because you defeated Grimmjow? Or is it because of her? Or maybe because of your friends still fighting down below... That girl is already one of us. Even if you manage to rescue her, that won't change. Rescuing her is meaningless._

Ichigo almost dropped his sandwich when Ulquiorra's voice echoed through his mind, and he raised a hand to his head when the voice faded away.

_That girl is already one of us._

Immediately, Ichigo gazed at Orihime, and watched as she said something to Rukia, a smile playing on her lips. He did not know why Ulquiorra's voice had suddenly invaded his mind, but now that it had, Ichigo could not help but feel uneasiness rise from the pit of his stomach.

_Even if you manage to rescue her, that won't change. Rescuing her is meaningless._

What had Ulquiorra meant with that? Ichigo could not think of any reason for Ulquiorra to lie to him, but at same time what the Quarta Espada had told him made no sense. Besides, Orihime looked fine to him...yes, she did look more tired than usual, but she looked fine nonetheless.

So what had Ulquiorra meant when he had said such things?

Was it possible that something had happened to Orihime that he had yet to find out about? Could that be the reason why Rukia, Toshiro and Rangiku were there? Could it be that Seireitei wanted to make sure that Orihime was still one of them?

"Inoue..." Ichigo blurted out before he could stop himself, and one pair of curious grey orbs gazed at him. Silence surrounded their circle as everyone turned to stare at the orange haired boy, who froze when he noticed he was under the spotlight. "Err...you...err..."

"Is there anything wrong, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked as she tilted her head to the side, and Ichigo struggled to come up with something, anything, to say. It was then that his eyes fell on a small smudge on the girl's cheek, and he cleared his throat.

"There's...err...something on your cheek." Ichigo decided to say, praying that he did not look as stupid as he had sounded, and the girl blinked at that. Slowly, she reached out to touch her cheek, and tried to wipe her skin as best as she could.

"Is it okay now?" she asked, and for a split of a second, Ichigo wondered if the two of them now looked like two idiots. Realizing that the auburn haired girl was still staring at him, Ichigo decided to shake his head.

"Err...no, it's fine now." he said, and Orihime smiled cutely at him before she turned to Uryuu again. As he let out a deep breath, Ichigo was about to focus his attention on his sandwich again when he realized that someone was still staring at him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Rukia said as she shrugged lightly, "Nothing at all."

Not surprisingly, Ichigo did not believe it, but still decided to let it go. However, he still made a mental note to ask Rukia about it later.

"I think we should go now." Uryuu spoke all of a sudden, and Ichigo snapped from his thoughts in time to see the last Quincy stand up from the ground. "Classes will start in ten minutes."

Nodding, Sado stood up as well, and Ichigo was about to do the same when he saw Uryuu turn to Orihime, and extend a hand towards her. He silently observed as the Quincy aided the girl to get up, and for a split of a second, Ichigo could not help but wonder why on earth Uryuu was being such a gentleman.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out, and the boy turned to his side only to see the petite _shinigami_ making her way towards the door that lead to the roof. "Let's go!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Ichigo muttered under his breath as he stood up, and he glanced one last time at Uryuu and Orihime before going after Rukia.

As she watched Ichigo and his group abandoning the rooftop, Hasu turned to the person standing next to her. The wind blew again, making her hair billow behind her, but she paid it no notice as she crossed her arms loosely against her chest, her left hand holding her right elbow.

"Do you understand what you're supposed to do?"

"Yes, don't worry; I know my limits."

"Good."

* * *

"_...What are you doing?"_

Orihime looked around in the darkness of her mind when that familiar voice echoed from around her. Looking around, the girl struggled to find the source of that voice although she already knew to whom it belonged to. The question was: where was he?

"_I'm asking why you helped him."_

Why had she helped who? There was no one around her...she was all alone in the nothingness of her dreams. She was completely alone, aside from the voice that continued to resonate around her.

"_Because he's your friend? Then why didn't you protect him from the first blow?"_

Orihime widened her eyes slightly at the question, and it was also then that footsteps started echoing around her. Immediately, Orihime turned to her side, and her eyes widened even more when she saw a shadow emerge from the shadows. Gradually, a white outfit became visible, and in a matter of seconds Orihime found herself staring directly at non-other than Schiffer Ulquiorra himself.

"Why did you hesitate?"

"W-What...?" Orihime stuttered as she continued staring at the figure in front of her, and she automatically rested a hand against her chest. Ulquiorra, who was staring directly at her, continued walking towards the anxious girl, his hands stuck inside his pants' pockets. "I...I...

"You don't know?" Ulquiorra interrupted her as he finally stopped walking, one arm length away from her, "Then let me tell you. You—"

Suddenly, and before the Espada could finish his sentence, a black _zanpakutou_ emerged from out of nowhere. The blade would have cut Ulquiorra's head off too had the Quarta Espada not given a somersault backwards while Orihime gave one small jump backwards in surprise.

Glancing to her side, Orihime felt her breath get stuck on her throat when her eyes fell on a familiar mask. Bullets of sweat immediately appeared on her forehead, and she felt a shiver run up her spine when a loud howl echoed around her.

"Kurosaki..." Orihime heard Ulquiorra hiss, and when she looked in direction of the Espada, she felt her heart skip various beats when she realized he had used his second release; _Resurrección Segunda Etapa_. As soon as she saw his condition, Orihime turned to the creature standing next to her, completely ignoring the fact that her heartbeat was increasing tenfold.

That was it...that was the beginning of the sourest and agonizing reality Orihime had ever witnessed...

Turning to the creature next to her, Orihime struggled to come up with something...anything to do. She could not let that continue. She had to stop it. It was true that Ichigo had already been dominated by the power of the beast, but she still had to do something.

But what?

"Lanza del Relampago..."

Spinning around, Orihime almost let out a cry in anguish when she saw that Ulquiorra was already holding a familiar spear.

"Stay back. Stay right where you are. I don't want to throw this when we're too close."

And before Orihime could even think of something to do, Ulquiorra threw the spear towards Ichigo, and before she could even react, there was a loud explosion. The warmth of the blast spread throughout her whole body, and for a split of a second all Orihime saw was white. The power of the explosion had been so great that Orihime gave a few steps backwards at same time she raised her arms in front of her face.

When everything finally quieted down, Orihime lowered her arms, and hesitantly opened her eyes.

When she looked up, there was no Ulquiorra.

"Inoue..." a guttural voice spoke up all of a sudden, and the girl felt her heart skip another beat before she looked behind her shoulder. A bullet of sweat rolled down the side of her face when she saw that the beast was standing behind her, _zanpakutou_ raised high above his head.

"Kuro...saki-kun..." Orihime managed to whisper, but the beast ignored her as it continued to hold the sword high in the air. And then, without as much as a faint whisper, the _zanpakutou_ was brought down in direction of her head.

Jumping straight on her futon, Orihime stared unfocusedly at the wall in front of her, her heart beating hastily against her rib cage. It was only when she started feeling something warm running down her cheeks that the girl snapped from her daze, and raised a hand towards her face.

Curious, she had not even noticed that she was crying...

"Orihime," a voice called out all of a sudden, and the auburn haired girl looked up, in direction of the living-room's door only to see Rangiku standing there, wearing her own sleeping clothes, "Did you have another nightmare?!

"I...I..." was all the girl managed to utter, and Rangiku quietly made her way towards the futon before she sat down on her legs. Then, without saying a word, the _shinigami_ wrapped her arms around Orihime's stiff torso, and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"I'm right here if you need to talk, Orihime." Rangiku whispered as she continued to hold the tense girl against her chest, "There's no need to keep everything inside of you."

"Inoue..." another voice spoke up, and the two girls gazed in direction of the window of the living-room only to see Toshiro sitting by the windowsill, a serious mask on his face. When Orihime's eyes met the Captain's serious ones, the _shinigami_ proceeded, "We need to talk about your nightmares."

"I...I don't..."

"It's vital that we take care of it quickly," Toshiro continued, and Orihime looked down while Rangiku rested her hands on the girl's shoulders, "Although you say you're all right, it is important that we learn how to deal with what has been going on as quickly as possible."

"But I'm fine..." Orihime started to say as she raised her eyes to gaze at the Captain again, "I-I... They are just nightmares. It's nothing important. I...I promise I'll do my best to control them, and...and....please, don't worry about me."

"You idiot," Rangiku said before Toshiro could even part his lips to speak, and the girl turned to her, "This is not a matter of you knowing how to deal with it or not; what matters is that we're worried about you, and we want to help you."

"And perhaps I should let you know," Toshiro continued as he crossed his arms against his chest, and the two girls turned to him, "that we're doing this for your own good, so think about it."

* * *

He did not recall when he had last watched the sunrise. He believed it had been during one of those times when he had been obliged to get up from his bed in the middle of the night because of a hollow attack, but he could not be sure. But then again, it was not as if that mattered at the moment; what was really important was that he had barely slept that night.

His nightmares were beginning to haunt him even before he had the chance to close his eyes.

Unconsciously, Ichigo rested a hand against his chest, and closed his fingers into a loosened fist when he felt his heart beating against the palm of his hand. Closing his eyes, the boy tried to focus his attention on his own heartbeat, but before he could fall victim of such constant rhythm, he felt someone appear next to him.

"Are you okay?" Rukia asked when Ichigo opened his eyes to gaze at her, and he silently took in the concerned mask on her face. "You don't look too well to me. Do you want to stay at home today? I could talk to your father, and I'm sure he—"

"No, I'm fine." Ichigo promptly interrupted the petite girl as he shook his head, "I just didn't sleep much last night, that's all."

"Yeah, I noticed." Rukia replied, and when the orange haired girl sent her a puzzled look, she shrugged before crossing her arms against her chest, "You kept turning and tossing in your bed the whole night. I figured since you weren't making any sound that you were awake. You kept me up part of the night too, since you couldn't just lay still."

"Sorry," was all Ichigo said before he decided to stand up from his bed, and he made his way towards the closet. He could feel Rukia's eyes on him, but the boy decided to ignore her stare by taking his uniform from inside the closet.

"Was it a nightmare again?" Rukia finally asked, and Ichigo, who had been about to reach out for his jacket, stopped his movements for a second before shaking his head. "Something is keeping you awake at night, and I want to know what it is."

"It's nothing; I just had trouble sleeping." Ichigo repeated as he grabbed his jacket, but before he could even think about turning around, Rukia punched him on top of his head. "Ow! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm trying to knock some sense into your head, that's what I'm doing." Rukia responded, her arms once again folded against her chest, "Honestly, Ichigo, when will you learn that it's not good to keep everything for yourself? Sometimes it may be dangerous to keep everything locked in!"

"Damn it, Rukia, I told you I just couldn't sleep!" Ichigo exclaimed, "That's a simple explanation, so why don't you just drop the subject?"

"Because the first time I got here, your reiatsu spiked up!" Rukia practically yelled at same time she threw her arms into the air, but Ichigo simply continued glaring at her, "And may I remind you that that never happened before! I need to know if something is troubling you because if your reiatsu spikes up again the way it did before you can attract hollows into the city!"

For a moment, there was only silence as Rukia and Ichigo continued staring at one another. And the glaring contest would have continued too had a sudden knock on the door not forced the two friends to look to their sides.

_"Onii-chan, breakfast's getting cold."_ Yuzu's voice echoed throughout the room, _"You're going to be late for school if you don't get up now."_

"I'm already up!" Ichigo answered back as he continued holding his uniform with his right hand, "Give me five minutes, and I'll be ready."

For a minute neither Ichigo nor Rukia moved as the two of them listened to Yuzu walking away until they could no longer hear her footsteps. When silence finally settled down, the two friends turned to one another, and Rukia let out a sigh.

"Listen, I'm just worried about you, that's all." she confessed, "And I'm sorry if my caring annoys you, but that still won't change anything. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah, I know, but trust me on this," Ichigo started as he put his uniform on his bed, and then he stared directly at Rukia in the eye, "there's nothing wrong so stop worrying so damn much."

"Hey, someone has to keep their eyes on you." Rukia pointed out with a small shrug, "And besides, how can I not worry? You haven't said a word about what happened back in Las Noches, and neither have Ishida and Inoue. It's only normal for me to ask you."

Las Noches...

_Kenpachi... You just said it a while ago that protecting Karakura town is my duty... Wrong. My duty is to protect my friends._

His duty was to protect his friends...

_...That girl is already one of us..._

Ichigo mechanically clenched his right hand into a tight fist when Ulquiorra's voice emerged from the depths of his mind just to taunt him. He honestly had no idea what he could do in order to simply shut that voice up. Ichigo was starting to believe that the reason why Ulquiorra's voice always came back to haunt him had to do with the fact that they had never really finished their battle, but still...

_Are you scared of me? Girl..._

_I'm not scared._

_I see._

On the moment when Ulquiorra had turned into ash, and Orihime had answered his question, Ichigo had felt that she had been sincere. He had seen the genuineness glittering in the depths of her eyes while her expression had revealed the purity of her soul.

And yet after Ulquiorra had vanished right before their eyes, the pain had erupted from within Orihime's soul, making the girl retreat inside a shell Ichigo was not used to see...

"Ichigo?"

The boy snapped back from his memories, and looked to his side only to see Rukia standing there, a confused mask now on her face. Quickly, he shook his head, and reached out for his uniform pants.

"It's nothing. Do you mind leaving the room so I can get dressed? I really don't want to get late." he said, and even though Rukia stared at him for a few more seconds she eventually agreed to abandon the room while taking her schoolbag with her.

When Rukia closed the door behind her, Ichigo stared down at his school's uniform, and took a deep breath before he covered his face with a hand. He honestly did not know what to do in order to destroy that painful lullaby that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. And yet Ichigo knew he could not bury his memories until he found out what could be happening to Orihime as well.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. The Stillness of Dread

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

Hello everyone. You know, when I first wrote this chapter I was a little worried because I was not certain about certain relationships, and if some people had met other people, and… Well, I believe you'll understand what I mean after you read this chapter.

For now, all I want is to thank _**SLTora**_, _**Samebito Ryu**_, _**NotebookPaper**_, _**GryffindorHyuuga**_, _**cherryjamontoast**_, _**moonlightbutterflye**_, _**ex-arnye**_ and _**x3Sn0w**_ for your constant support and help. I am really happy to know you're all enjoying this story so far. Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The Stillness of Dread

Silently, Uryuu glanced over to his right side only to see the girls from his class playing volleyball. His eyes went from Tatsuki to Rukia before settling on Orihime, who was currently throwing the ball over the fence. Her pink cheeks were offering her a very healthy look while her long tresses were following her movements with grace.

There was a wide smile on her face...a smile that Uryuu had not seen for quite some time, but that appeared to enlighten her whole face. From where he stood, Uryuu had to admit that it seemed as if nothing had changed...it looked as if everything was still the same as it had been before they had gone to Las Noches...

"Oi, Ishida!"

Snapping back to the present, Uryuu looked ahead only to widen his eyes in surprise when he saw a basketball ball coming his way. Immediately he raised his hands in front of his face, and stumbled backwards when the ball slammed right into his hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo practically roared as he appeared next to the last Quincy, his frown deepening by the second. "Stop daydreaming, and focus on the damn game!"

"I _am_ concentrated," Uryuu retorted as he threw the ball back to Ichigo, "On contrary of you, Kurosaki, multitasking is one of my qualities so I can play and think about serious topics at same time."

Ichigo snorted at that before he spun around, and threw the ball in Sado's direction.

"What serious topic are you thinking about? How badly you suck at sports?" the orange haired boy asked as he turned his head to stare at Uryuu again, but he blinked when he saw that the Quincy was no longer paying attention to him. Instead, Uryuu was once again staring at the girls from their class, a serious mask on his face.

For a moment, Ichigo also decided to ignore the basketball game, and tried to find out why Uryuu was looking at the girls as they played volleyball. It did not take long until the substitute _shinigami_ noticed that Uryuu was not observing the girls' game, but one girl in particular.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Ichigo asked before he could stop himself, and he pretty much marched in Uryuu's direction. "Why the hell are you staring at Inoue like that?"

"I do not understand what you're talking about." Uryuu responded as he glanced at Ichigo through the corner of his eyes, "I thought you were supposed to be paying attention to the game."

With those words, Uryuu walked past Ichigo, and rushed to Sado's side in time to receive the ball when his tall friend threw it at him. Smirking, Uryuu drilled backwards before he turned to the basket, and threw the ball. His smirk widened even more when the ball went in, and it was then that the Quincy turned to Ichigo.

"What about you trying to do better than that, Kurosaki?" he asked, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the indirect challenge.

"Unfortunately, we're on the same team this time." Ichigo declared as he observed Uryuu walk past him, "But next time, if we stay on different teams, I'll kick your ass."

"Ah, I'd like to see you try." Uryuu retorted, the smirk never leaving his face, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes even more at that.

However, despite of their initial behaviour, and even though he kept taunting Ichigo every time he got, the truth was that Uryuu would always find himself staring at the girls' court. It was automatic really, the way his eyes would glance to his side, and would lock with Orihime's form.

_Ishida-kun...Can you take me...up above the dome?_

Even on that time, Uryuu had known why Orihime had requested for such a thing, and at the time he had also known he would regret accepting to take her.

_Please._

After all, when he had nodded in understanding, Uryuu had known that he was taking her in direction of the stillness of death. And yet he had been unable not to accept her request...not when he had known the reason behind it...

Softening his stare, Uryuu watched as Orihime lost her balance after throwing the ball at Tatsuki, and fell on the ground with a yelp. Immediately, Rukia, who had been standing behind the orange haired girl, went to her side, and extended a hand forward.

Orihime was laughing at herself, her cheeks even redder than before most likely due from the workout and the embarrassment, but she still accepted Rukia's help. Tatsuki, who was on the other side of the net, started saying something while resting her hands on her hips; Uryuu guessed she was most likely scolding Orihime for her lack of grace.

"You're worried about her," someone stated all of a sudden, and Uryuu looked to his side only to see Sado standing there, also looking at the girls' court. For everyone else, Sado had asked a question, but Uryuu knew he was simply stating a fact.

"Aren't we all?" Uryuu inquired as he glanced at his friend before he also focused his attention on Orihime again.

"You still haven't told us what happened at the dome." Sado declared, and Uryuu paused for a moment before he shook his head. "I believe it would be easier to for us to help you if we knew what happened in Las Noches. Why don't you tell us?"

"Because it's not something for me to say," Uryuu replied before he rested the back of his hand against Sado's upper-arm, and tilted his head to the side, "C'mon, let's continue the game. I don't have to look behind me to know that Kurosaki is glaring at us right now."

Sado simply nodded at that.

One hour later, the boys could already be found in the boys' dressing room, getting dressed for the rest of school classes. Everyone was getting ready as quickly as they could, with some of them whining about the cold water from the showers while others questioned about why on earth they had to have P.E. right before lunch.

Uryuu calmly took his uniform's jacket from inside his locked, and put it down on the bench behind him before he reached out for his tie. His eyes, although narrowed in concentration, were not at all focused on the task he had at hand. On the contrary, his orbs had already fallen captive of all thoughts that were swirling on his mind.

His mind was completely lost in what had happened back in Las Noches right after Ichigo had underwent his new hollow form...

_Help me, Kurosaki-kun!_

Uryuu remembered well what had triggered Ichigo's new condition although he had never uttered a word about it. However, the truth was that he had always wanted to ask both Orihime and Ichigo if they knew what that meant...

Of course Uryuu knew that asking Ichigo about that meant recalling moments the substitute _shinigami_ did not recall that well. And Uryuu also knew that inquiring Orihime about it meant bringing ghosts back to life, and that was something Uryuu truly did not want to do.

"What the hell is going on with you today?"

Uryuu snapped from his reverie only to see Ichigo standing next to him, already fully dressed. For a moment, all they did was stare at one another until Uryuu decided to put his tie on with expertise.

"I believe you have to be more clear, Kurosaki, because I do not understand what you want to know." Uryuu declared as he dropped his hands from his tie before he turned around, and grabbed his jacket. "Is there something you want to ask me about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about." Ichigo hissed through his teeth, "I noticed the way you kept staring at Inoue during the whole game. What's going on?"

"I was staring at Inoue-san?" Uryuu asked back as he put his jacket on, "Are you sure you were not imagining things?"

"Is there something going on between you and Inoue?" Ichigo questioned, still through gritted teeth, but before Uryuu could even part his lips to reply, Keigo appeared from out of nowhere.

"Oi, Ichigo!!! Say, are we finally going to eat lunch together? I mean, it has been ages since we last chatted, and since I bought a bentou, I think the two of us could share, and..."

Uryuu saw Ichigo's eyebrow twitch, and realized that their conversation had come to an end.

"Piss off, Keigo." was all the orange haired boy said as he turned to his classmate, and before someone could say anything else, Ichigo walked out of the room.

"Ah, what did I do?" Keigo asked with a shocked expression on his face, and Mizuiro took the cue to appear from behind him, already typing at full speed on his cell phone.

"You'll never learn, Asano-kun." he said without looking up from his cell phone, and Keigo immediately turned to him.

"What did I do? I just invited him to lunch with us!"

"And that's what you did wrong."

As Keigo and Mizuiro continued talking, Uryuu glanced in direction of the door of the room, and let out a tired sigh. Speaking to Ichigo would most likely prove to be hopeless because he clearly did not recall everything that had happened back at the dome. However, scratching Ichigo's name from the list meant that there was only one other person he could talk to...

Looking down, Uryuu took a deep breath. Well, he could try to talk to Orihime; if she looked willing to talk about it, good, if not...Well, he would have to come up with another idea...

* * *

"Orihime, look, look! I created a new dessert while you were at school!" Rangiku exclaimed as soon as the auburn haired girl walked inside her house, and before Orihime could understand what was going on, a plate appeared right from underneath her nose.

Blinking, the girl observed what was being displayed in front of her. During her absence, Rangiku had attacked her freezer, and used all of the chocolate ice cream she had bought a few days before the appearance of the two new residents. Not only that, but Rangiku had most likely used all of her honey and sweet red beans as well.

And then there was the green substance on top of the whole dessert...

"Here, give it a try!" Rangiku exclaimed as she handed Orihime a spoon, and she smiled widely at the girl, "I promise you're not going to regret it! I just ate a whole plate too! Just don't tell anyone that."

"It looks delicious, Rangiku-san!" Orihime said as she reached out for the spoon, "But what's this green ingredient you used? Is it wasabi?"

"If you want to find out, you have to try it." Rangiku answered with a wink, and Orihime quickly took a large chunk of ice cream. Honey was rolling down the spoon along with small bits of red beans, and then there was the greenish surprise...

As soon as she closed her mouth around the spoon, and tasted all of the ingredients, Orihime felt a shiver run up her spine. There was the coldness of the ice cream, the sweetness of the honey and sweet beans, and there was the hotness of...

"It's wasabi!" Orihime managed to exclaim although her mouth was still half full, "It's so good!"

"Told you so!" Rangiku exclaimed back before she handed Orihime the plate as well, "So, start eating girl! I want to see a wide smile on that pretty face of yours when you're done!"

"Okay!" Orihime exclaimed, but when she was just about to go to the kitchen, she stopped, and stared at the _shinigami_ with a confused expression on her face, "Where's Toshiro-kun and Shiro-kun?"

"Oh, Captain went to Soul Society talk to the doctor that's following Lieutenant Hinamori's case." Rangiku answered with a small shrug, "And I think your puppy's asleep in the living-room."

"Lieutenant Hinamori's case?" Orihime repeated as she tilted her head to the side in puzzlement, "Is there anything wrong with the Lieutenant?"

"Ah no, it's just a precaution." Rangiku answered as she waved a hand in front of her face, "They just want to make sure she's all right after everything that happened, that's all."

"Ah..." was all Orihime said as she looked down. She knew why Toshiro was worried about Hinamori Momo, after all Aizen was still a shadow in the Lieutenant's life... "But Rangiku-san wh-humph!"

Orihime was caught by surprise when Rangiku suddenly thrust a spoon full of ice cream inside her mouth.

"No worrying about that now, just enjoy my dessert." the _shinigami_ ordered in a sweet tone, and Orihime blinked at her behaviour before nodding. The two of them were about to retreat to the kitchen when someone suddenly knocked on the front door.

After glancing at Rangiku for a second, Orihime handed her the plate and the spoon before making her way towards the front door. Calmly, the auburn haired girl opened the door, but as soon as her eyes met the person that was standing outside, she felt dread erupt from the pit of her stomach.

"I came to talk to you, Inoue Orihime." Hasu announced as she continued standing by the door, but the girl did not move an inch. It was also then that Rangiku appeared from behind Orihime, and her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was.

"So, you're here..." was all the Lieutenant said as she continued staring at the newcomer, who simply looked back at her with a blank facial expression."It's a little late for visits, isn't it?"

"I need Inoue to come with me," Hasu said, and even though for most people that would sound like a request, both Rangiku and Orihime knew it was not. Timidly, Orihime gazed at the orange haired woman behind her before she uneasily glanced at Hasu again.

"Yes..." was all she managed to say at same time she nodded, and Hasu stared down at her for a moment. "Do I need to...take something with me?"

"No." Hasu answered quickly before she gazed at Rangiku, "Don't worry, she'll return rather quickly."

With that said, the member of the Eleventh Division turned around, and walked away. Nervously, Orihime looked behind her, and when Rangiku simply shrugged, the girl smiled hesitantly at her. Then, after nodding, she put her shoes on before rushing after Hasu.

"Say, Shinkai-sensei," Orihime started when she reached the woman's side, and she unconsciously clasped her hands behind her back, "where are we going?"

"We're going to meet the person who is going to help you." Hasu replied without glancing at her, and Orihime blinked at that before she looked away. When the auburn haired girl did not say anything, Hasu glanced sideways at her, "Listen, Inoue, I'm not doing this because I don't believe in you. On the contrary, I am doing this because I trust in you."

"Who's...? Who's supposed to help me?" Orihime inquired, and for some reason she felt a shiver run up her spine when Hasu smirked at that question. "Shinkai-sensei..."

"I'm sure you'll be surprised." was all Hasu said, and Orihime blinked at that before she quieted down, and simply followed the _shinigami_. And that was why Orihime found herself looking at her surroundings in absolute puzzlement when she noticed to where Hasu was taking her.

"That warehouse..." she whispered, but Hasu simply continued walking forward, her posture refined as always. When her brain finally processed all of the information, Orihime felt her heart skip a beat and she immediately turned to the _shinigami_, "Shinkai-sensei, we...that warehouse..."

"C'mon..." was all Hasu said as she motioned for Orihime to follow her with a hand at same time she stepped inside the warehouse, and Orihime silently nodded in understanding.

In a matter of minutes, the two girls were facing a staircase that led to a basement...

...A very familiar staircase...

"Shinkai-sensei, this is where...Kurosaki-kun, he..."

"Yes, you are correct." Hasu finally said as she turned to Orihime, "Let's go meet the one who is going to help you with your powers."

With that said, Hasu started climbing down the stairs while Orihime did not move an inch. Instead, the auburn haired girl simply watched as Hasu continued walking without ever looking back. To go after her...to climb those stairs down, Orihime knew what that would mean...what that would represent...  
_  
Have you never heard, Inoue Orihime, that the worst kind of scar that exists is the one you cannot see? Those are the scars you should be worrying about. Leave the physical wounded to the ones who can mend bones._

Clenching her right hand into a fist, Orihime took a deep breath in, and gave one step forward. Then, without giving herself time to think about what she was doing, the girl went after Hasu, vaguely taking in the fact that she was reaching a place she had not seen for a long time.

"Ah, welcome back Shinkai-san," Orihime heard someone say all of a sudden, and when she raised her orbs to stare at her teacher, the girl stopped her tracks. Standing in front of Hasu, with a kind smile on his face, was non-other than Hachigen Ushōda himself. "And it's good to see you again, Inoue Orihime."

"Hachi-san!" Orihime exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization, and the man smiled warmly at her. Quickly, the girl gazed at Hasu, who turned to her side in order to stare back at her, "Shinkai-sensei, does this...does this mean...?"

"Hachigen is the one who is going to help you." Hasu declared as she crossed her arms against her chest, and Orihime stared at the plump man once again, "This was an agreement made between Seireitei and the Vizards. Hachigen is going to help you develop your powers."

"Yes, I promise I'll do my best." Ushōda said as he nodded, "However, I must ask both of you to call me Hachi. Everyone does it, and I have long grown used to that nickname."

"Do you have anything to say about this arrangement, Inoue?" Hasu inquired as she gazed at the girl, "I believe you will do well with Hachigen's aid. Also, if you face any sort of difficulties, you can always come to me."

"B-But I...I..." Orihime looked from Hasu to Ushōda, and since she did not know what to say, she immediately clasped her hands together in front of her legs, and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much!"

"Ah, no need for that; like I said, I am simply going to try to help you." Ushōda declared as he raised a hand, "All effort will come from you, Inoue-san."

Orihime glanced at Hasu at those words, and when the older woman looked back at her, she instinctively bit her lower lip. Then, as she clasped her hands in front of her legs, Orihime turned to Ushōda, thoughts running at full speed in her head.

Was that truly a chance for her to get stronger?

Was that really an opportunity for her to become a little more independent?

Glancing around her, Orihime eventually found the spot where she had talked to Ichigo many months before. She could still recall the way he had taken the news about Aizen, and the way he had behaved afterwards. He had showed that he was not worried, not because he had not understood the situation, but because he had felt that he was getting stronger.

And there had been her own promise...

_I've got to get stronger too..._

Gazing at Ushōda, Orihime felt her heartbeat increase substantially at same time determination started emerging from the bottom of her soul. Clenching her hands, Orihime took a deep breath in, and then bowed deeply.

"I'm in your care. Please, take care of me."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Some people mentioned about how much they enjoyed Orihime's nightmare in the last chapter. I am really excited to hear that because I have lots of fun writing them down, but still I just want to let you know that most of that scene was taken from the manga, including Ulquiorra's lines. Thanks for the attention!


	6. Our Snowdrops from Hell

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**war90**_, _**moonlightbutterflye**_, _**NotebookPaper**_, _**xNocturnalxShadowx**_, _**Emuri**_, _**Samebito Ryu**_, _**Krishyana**_ and _**ex-arnye**_ for all of your support and help. I promise I'll work hard to make sure I won't disappoint you.

* * *

**Chapter 6**  
Our Snowdrops from Hell

He had captain class reiatsu...a bewitching yet terrifying reiatsu, and the most amazing thing was that he did not seem aware of it. She knew he probably had not even realized that it would be during his sleep that his reiatsu would explode...she was aware that he probably had no idea of how dangerous he was becoming...

...And she was conscious that he had no idea of how hard it was for her to not tell him anything about it...

Rukia continued staring at Ichigo as the boy kept on tossing and turning on his bed. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead a long time ago while his cheeks had grown redder due to his anguish to fight against the ghosts from his past. He would occasionally mumble things under his breath, words that Rukia had not been able to understand with the exception of three...

Ulquiorra...

Inoue...

Protect...

Closing her eyes, Rukia started rubbing her temples, and let out a sigh of tiredness. She honestly did not know what to do at the moment; one side of her wanted to simply go to Ichigo, and snap him out of his nightmare, but her other side was telling her that she needed to stay put...

...Her _shinigami_ side was ordering her to stay inside the closet, and simply observe the viciousness hidden within Ichigo's body...

With her eyebrows puckered in concentration, Rukia continued staring at the orange haired boy in deep thoughts. Nails of power had begun to run down her skin in a taunting game, but the _shinigami_ had managed to ignore most of that feeling. However, the truth was that it was becoming harder not to notice the way Ichigo's reiatsu was caressing her skin...it would not take long until his power finally penetrated through her body, and grasped her core...

Closing her eyes, Rukia took a deep breath, and focused all of her energy in trying not to pay attention to Ichigo's reiatsu. Instead, she tried to focus her senses in the boy himself, her ears sharp and anxious to hear something, anything that could aid her in her new quest...

"...I'll help you."

Rukia's eyes snapped open when Ichigo's voice broke the silence. Staring at the boy, Rukia noticed that he was now laying on his back, his teeth gritted, bullets of sweat still streaming down his face. And it was also then that Ichigo's reiatsu blew up once again.

As soon as the wave of power fell on her shoulders like an irate wave, Rukia jumped from inside the closet, and rushed to the bed. She only had time to notice Ichigo's red face before she raised a hand, and smacked the boy as hard as she could on the cheek.

The effect of her slap was instantaneous; the force she had been feeling on her shoulders vanished straight away while one pair of eyelids fluttered open only to reveal two confused brown orbs. For a moment, all Rukia did was stare at Ichigo, the frown still on her face.

"Wake up!" she ordered, and Ichigo blinked in drowsiness before he sat down on his mattress. It was also then that he winced, and raised a hand towards his now abused cheek.

"Rukia, what the hell...?"

"I don't know what you're dreaming about, but you better calm down!" Rukia interrupted him as she gradually dropped her still raised hand, and Ichigo continued rubbing his now redder cheek. "Your reiatsu exploded again! What are you trying to do? Do you want to draw hollows to Karakura?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Yes, you do!" Rukia almost yelled back, and Ichigo dropped his hand, "You know very well that something's affecting you! Why don't you just tell me what's going on? This isn't the first time your reiatsu explodes in your sleep!"

"Damn it, Rukia, nothing's going on!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Just go to bed, and leave me alone! And while you're at it, remind yourself that my family's asleep, and I really am not in the mood to have my father barging in, and kick me in the face because you just felt like yelling at me in the middle of the night!"

"You're impossible!" Rukia said as she threw her arms in the air, and when she noticed that Ichigo was about to speak, she moved closer to him, and almost poked him on the nose when she pointed a finger at him. "And you better stop behaving like this! I may not know what happened back in Las Noches, but I know that it's affecting you, and if you don't do something about it, then things will get ugly!"

"Damn it, just go to sleep!" Ichigo cursed as he grasped his blanket, and before Rukia could say something, the boy laid down on his bed again, his back turned to her. "Thanks to you, I only have four hours to sleep."

"Ichigo..." Rukia started, but the boy simply pulled his blanket up to his ears, and ignored her. When she noticed that he was not going to say anything else, the girl let out an inaudible sigh, "I just want you to know that you should take care of whatever is troubling you before something bad happens."

With those words, Rukia retreated back to the closet, and as soon as she was inside, she closed the door. Silently, she lay down on her bed, her left hand resting behind her head. For a moment all Rukia did was stare at the top of the closet before she turned to her side, and reached out for her cell-phone.

With a blank expression on her face, Rukia started typing a message only to stop when she moved her thumb to press _send_. For a second all the girl did was stare at the text she had just typed before she finally decided to send the message. Unfortunately, Rukia knew that if things continued the way they were, then something dire would eventually happen.

And regardless of everything, Rukia knew she would need back-up for when that happened.

* * *

Obviously something was terribly wrong, and as expected in such situation, it was obvious that no one was going to tell him a thing. However, regardless of the silent treatment he appeared to receive whenever he tried to bring that topic up, he knew that something was going on.

The dark bangs underneath Orihime's eyes told him that much.

Yes, it was true, he could blame troublesome nights for those drowsy eyes or he could blame her wild imagination for keeping her up at night, but none of those excuses seemed right. Every time he glanced her way, Ichigo would either find a smiling Orihime, surrounded by her friends, or would spot a lethargic and worn out girl, slouching on her seat as classes proceeded.

She was also more absent-minded than usual, which caused her to stumble into the most random things, like missing a step while climbing up the stairs or almost falling off a window because a bird caught her attention.

Had Ichigo not know Orihime at all, he would almost say she was going mad.

However, the truth was that Kurosaki Ichigo knew Inoue Orihime quite well, and he knew that she would only behave so distractedly due to something that was bothering her. Although she was stronger than Orihime believed to be, the truth was that she was also quite delicate, and her pure soul made her the perfect target for all kind of problems.

And the fact that she truly worried about her friends to the point of allowing herself to be swallowed by their problems truly did not help.

Sighing, Ichigo looked over his shoulder through the corner of his eyes, and observed as Orihime stared through the window next to her. The bangs underneath her eyes had become more visible during the past week while her fatigue kept increasing every day. Ichigo had actually thought about asking her if there was something going on, but whenever he thought about approaching her, Ichigo could not help but hesitate.

What if it was something connected with what had happened in Las Noches?

What if it was something linked to what he had done during his fight with Ulquiorra?

Letting out an inaudible sigh, Ichigo looked down at his book before raising a hand towards his face. Unconsciously, he covered his eyes for a moment as he struggled to recall everything that had happened during his fight with Ulquiorra.

He could remember fighting the Espada up until the moment they were taken to the dome. He also recalled Ulquiorra's words before his mind went blank at the time.

_You're a fool, Kurosaki Ichigo. You should fear my power, yet you still fight like you think you can win. I don't understand you. If that's because of what you call a heart, then it is the heart that causes you humans pain. It is because of your heart that you will die._

Automatically, Ichigo closed left hand into a fist when he heard his own voice echo from the back of his mind.

_I don't fight because I think I can win. I fight because I have to win! _

_Nonsense._

Various pairs of eyes looked up from the textbooks they were supposed to be studying when an enraged wave fell upon them. However, as quickly as the wave emerged, it was dissolved, but those who had felt it still glanced to the middle of the classroom.

Ichigo, who still had his eyes covered by his hand, was completely oblivious of such stares as he heard Ulquiorra's voice haunt his mind.

_So, you've come. Girl. You're just in time. Watch closely. This is the moment the man you've put your hopes in will lose his life._

_STOP!_

"Kurosaki Ichigo!" a voice shouted all of a sudden, and the orange haired boy snapped back to reality as he dropped his hand, and stared at what was happening in front of him. Standing in front of him, with an annoyed expression on her face, was the math teacher. "I want the first problem solved on the board, immediately! And next time, try not to fall asleep in my class!"

As the teacher turned around, and made her way towards her seat, Ichigo let out a sigh. It was only when he was about to reach out for his textbook, that the boy finally noticed who was staring at him.

There was Rukia, who had a worried expression on her face. There was Uryuu, who was watching him with a cautious gaze. There was Sado, who was carrying lines of concern in his usual blank facial expression. Even Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki and Chizuru had glanced his way in confusion.

Everyone spiritually aware was staring at him.

Everyone except for one.

Without trying to be subtle, Ichigo looked away from his friends, and gazed at Orihime. She appeared to be completely oblivious of what was going around her as she continued to watch the snowflakes descend from the heavens through the window. It was also only then that Ichigo noticed how pale she looked...how frail she truly was.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I want the problem solved now!" the teacher almost roared from her seat, and the boy stared at her before nodding. Slowly, he stood up from his chair, and made his way towards the blackboard.

However, although his hand moved through the black surface, scribbling down the answer to the problem, Ichigo was paying no attention to what he was doing. Instead, he struggled to recall the memory that had just taken over his mind.

_This is the moment the man you've put your hopes in will lose his life._

The man you've put your hopes in. Ichigo had always known that Orihime trusted him with her own life. He knew she would always be there to back him up, and to help him in everything she could, but still for some reason, those words made his heart ache.

After all, in the end, he had only given Orihime reasons to not trust him.

He had only given her reasons to fear him.

When he finished writing the solution for the problem, Ichigo glanced at the teacher, who simply told him to go seat down. Quietly, the boy did so, but when he reached his seat, Ichigo glanced at Orihime one last time before he gazed at the snowflakes as well.

_Don't you think the snowflakes resemble to snowdrops, Kurosaki-kun?_

Silently, Ichigo sat down on his chair, and ignoring Rukia's stare, the boy glanced at the window again, and looked directly at the snowflakes.

Yes, the snowflakes still looked like snowdrops, but for Ichigo they no longer were heavenly snowdrops. Instead, they appeared to be his personal snowdrops from hell.

* * *

The whole place was silent, which was abnormally strange. Usually Hanakari Shinta, Tsumugiya Ururu and Tsukabishi Tessai could be heard miles away from the shop, and yet everything was quiet...too quiet.

Narrowing her eyes, Rukia opened the front door of the shop, and stepped inside only to notice the lights were off. Well, that was not that unusual since it was already past dinner time, but still that did not explain the silence that appeared to rule the interior of the house as well.

Still with her eyebrows puckered in suspicion, Rukia walked across the shop only to stop her tracks when she finally reached the shoji door that separated the shop from the rest of the house. Quietly, she pushed the door aside, and looked around before her eyes fell upon a tremulous light that was coming from the end of the hallway.

"Urahara-san?" Rukia called out, but when no one answered her, the girl raised an eyebrow. Calmly, she started making her way towards the light only to notice that it was peeking through a half closed door.

"Urahara-san?" Rukia called out again as she stopped in front of the door, "I'm sorry for intruding, but I need to speak to you."

For a few seconds nothing happened, and Rukia was about to raise a hand when the door was suddenly pushed aside. Blinking, the _shinigami_ found herself staring at a very familiar fan before a pair of mischievous eyes locked with hers.

"Oh, but it's the always welcomed Kuchiki-san!" Kisuke greeted with a wide smile on his face, but the young woman simply continued to stare at him, "Please, come in! I'm really sorry I did not welcome you sooner, but someone else decided to come visit me as well!"

Before Rukia could even think about who could have possibly decided to go visit Urahara Kisuke on the same night as her, the owner of the shop stepped aside. As soon as her eyes met a pair of navy blue ones, Rukia had to stop herself from groaning.

"Why it's not every night that I am blessed with the company of two beautiful ladies!" Kisuke continued as he made his way towards his seat, and as soon as he sat down, the man stared at Rukia, "Please, sit down!"

"Shinkai."

"Kuchiki-san."

Nodding slightly in greeting, Rukia made her way towards Kisuke's side while he called out for Tessai, and requested for more tea.

"So, what brings you to my shop, Kuchiki-san?" Kisuke asked as he turned to the said girl, but instead of answering him, Rukia stared at Hasu, who simply continued sipping on her tea. It was amazing, but despite of the time they had spent together in the past, Hasu's behaviour still irked her to no end.

"Kuchiki-san?"

"Ah, yes, I wanted to talk to you about Ichigo." Rukia said as she turned to Kisuke, and after a few seconds she decided to add another name, "And Inoue as well."

"Oh oh, and what has happened to those two this time?" Kisuke inquired

"You know what has been going on." Rukia said as she tried to keep her cool, and Kisuke tilted his head slightly to the side, "Ever since they came back from Las Noches that things haven't been quite normal."

"Why, we cannot certainly blame them for that, can we?" Kisuke inquired as he opened his fan in front of his face, "They went through a rough time, Kuchiki-san, and you know how tough it can be for you to deal with certain situations."

"Still, I would like to know if there's anything we can do to help them." Rukia responded, "I have tried to talk to Ichigo, but he refuses to tell me anything, and his memories are affecting him a lot. I have never seen him like this before. And then there's Inoue."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry that much about Inoue-san if I were you." Kisuke interrupted her as the corner of his lips curled upwards into a knowing smile, and it was then that his eyes flicked in Hasu's direction. In confusion, Rukia gazed at the quiet _shinigami_, who eventually met her gaze.

What in the world…?

"Are you telling me that she's helping Inoue?" Rukia inquired as she turned to look at Kisuke again, her index finger pointing at Hasu, and it was then that the other woman put her cup down.

"Please, restrain yourself from talking about me as if I'm not present." Hasu finally requested, her fingers releasing the warm cup with refinement, and Rukia had to stop herself from glaring at her allegedly teacher. "And what I'm doing with Inoue Orihime is none of your concern."

"Yeah, right. Last time you did something to supposedly help Inoue, you took her to Seireitei!" Rukia exclaimed, ignoring the door that suddenly opened behind her. "You gave Inoue enough troubles for a lifetime and all because you were arrogant enough to not say anything!"

"Kuchiki-san…" Kisuke started as Tessai walked inside the living-room, carrying a tray with one single cup of tea, but Hasu interrupted him.

"I was following orders. I am sure you are acquainted with the rules you are supposed to follow when you're in a mission."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Rukia asked as she glared at the member of the Eleventh Division, and Tessai took the cue to put the cup of tea in front of the petite woman. Then, after glancing sideway sat Kisuke, the tall man walked away, silently closing the door behind him. "I won't let you toy with Inoue this time!"

"Kuchiki-san," Kisuke tried out once again, and the said girl turned to him as soon as she recognized the serious tone on his voice, "I understand that you're worried about Inoue-san, but at the moment there is no need for you to try to help her."

"She's my friend!" Rukia finally burst as she threw her arms in the air in pure annoyance, "Of course I have to worry about her. In fact now that I know that Shinkai is supposedly helping Inoue again, I can't help but be even more worried about this whole situation!"

"Kuchiki-san, your duty is to keep both eyes on Kurosaki Ichigo." Hasu pointed out as she crossed her arms against her chest, and Rukia glared at her, "Do not worry about Inoue Orihime. I assure you she's fine."

"Fine? How can you even say that?" Rukia hissed, "Have you actually looked at Inoue lately? She's exhausted! I have no idea of what you've been doing to her, but whatever it is, it's draining her!"

"In order to get better, you must do sacrifices." Hasu declared, a blank expression on her face, and Rukia gritted her teeth in anger at same time she closed her hands into tight fists. "Inoue knows what she's doing. She was not forced to do anything against her will."

"With you behind her, I'm sure she was reluctant about speaking her thoughts." Rukia stated before she could stop herself, and it was Hasu's turn to narrow her eyes in irritation.

"Restrain yourself from making accusations when you know little to nothing about the situation." she warned, and Kisuke silently started fanning himself as he watched the two _shinigami_ staring angrily at each other. "Do not test my patience, Kuchiki-san."

"And don't you test mine!"

"My, my, you two sure are overprotective when it comes to Inoue-san." Kisuke decided to say as soon as Rukia's out-burst reached his ears, and both girls turned to him. "However, I must agree with Shinkai-san this time, Kuchiki-san."

"You're unbelievable…"

"Kuchiki-san," Hasu called out, and when the petite girl turned to her, she continued, "Worry solemnly about Kurosaki Ichigo. After all, he is the main reason why you returned to the living world, is he not?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rukia inquired as she narrowed her eyes slightly again, and Hasu smirked at her. Kisuke, on the other hand, simply continued to watch the two of them with interest.

"You came to Urahara-san, to ask if there was anything he could do to help Kurosaki and Inoue." Hasu started, "You are struggling to find something that can give you a clue as to how you should help Kurosaki deal with what has happened in Las Noches."

"I am not ashamed to admit I have come in search for help," Rukia scoffed as she crossed her arms against her chest, "At least I know when to admit I may be doing something wrong on the contrary of some people."

"Ah, yes, I know." Hasu declared as she nodded faintly in response, "And I also know that was why you decided to request for Abarai Renji's help."

"What?" Rukia gasped, her eyes widening in surprise, "How on earth do you know that?"

Instead of answering, Hasu simply gazed at Kisuke, who immediately raised his fan to his lips in order to conceal his amused smile. In confusion, Rukia focused her attention on the former Captain from Seireitei as well, but before she could even think of something to say, the door behind her was opened.

"She knows you called for me, because I'm here."

As soon as those words reached her ears, Rukia looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened even more.

"Renji!"

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Remembrance of Bleeding Reminiscences

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

Hello everyone. Eh, it's been a while, has it not? I am really sorry for the delay; it's just that work has become a little more troublesome, and before I knew it, my writing had been pushed aside. Also, I've been going through a rough time in my personal life so all I can say is that I'm really sorry.

Anyway, I hope it was worth waiting for this chapter. Thank you for the attention!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Remembrance of Bleeding Reminiscences

"How is she?"

Those three little words echoed through a small office before fading away. One pair of slate gray eyes looked up from a report, a sense of respect reflecting in their depths. Looking back at those orbs was a pair of cyan eyes, filled with both concern and authority.

A light breeze entered inside the office through the slightly opened window at the back of the room. ..

"She's great," a female voice responded after a short pause, but Hitsugaya Toshiro still crossed his arms against his chest. That simple act was enough to let the other _shinigami_ know that the Captain of the Tenth Division wanted more information.

"Her health is improving. In fact, she will be discharged later on today." the member of the Fourth Division continued, auburn tresses caressing her cheeks while longer locks fell down her shoulders. "You may go see her."

For a moment, Toshiro simply stared at the Third member of the medical division, his eyebrows puckered in concentration. He had actually planned to ask about more information not only regarding Hinamori Momo's physical health, but also about her mental health.

However, although he had approached that office determined to ask all the questions that had been haunting him up until that moment, the truth was that Toshiro could not do it. To ask about such personal thing would represent his uncertainty about Momo's progress, and that was something Toshiro did not want to do.

He did not want to doubt his best friend's capabilities.

"Also, Lieutenant Hinamori has proven to have an amazing mental strength." the other _shinigami_ continued, and Toshiro snapped back to reality at that comment. "Some of my colleagues were slightly fearful she would recede after facing former Captain Aizen, but Lieutenant Hinamori did exactly the opposite."

As he listened to the Third seat, Toshiro found himself wondering how on earth she had figured out that he had been struggling to ask her about it. Although he had never met her before, after spending such long time debating Momo's condition with her, Toshiro had come to know Edogawa Mika a little bit.

But still, despite all the time that had rolled by, Toshiro still could not quite grasp her ability to know what he was thinking.

"That's the reason why the Lieutenant will be able to leave the infirmary," Mika proceeded when Toshiro did not react to her announcement, "As her doctor, and since Captain Unohana agreed, I see no reason to keep her here."

"So, Lieutenant Hinamori is going to leave today." Toshiro asked, although it sounded more like a proclamation, and Mika nodded in return. "There will be no need for her to return again, correct?"

"I see no reason for her to return." Mika responded as she continued to hold the report with both her hands, "When I was told she was going to be under my care, I was a little apprehensive especially since I was aware about the Lieutenant's period of recuperation. However, now that I have seen Lieutenant Hinamori's strength, I have no reason to keep her here."

For a moment, Toshiro stood quiet, his arms still folded against his chest. He silently observed as Mika scribbled something at the bottom of the report she had been examining before she put the paper down on the desk next to her.

"Besides, Lieutenant Hinamori has been asking if she can go practice _kidō_ spells lately, with Lieutenant Hisagi." Mika spoke all of a sudden, and Toshiro found himself blinking at that. "She speaks highly of you too, so I'm sure she'll be delighted to know about how deeply you care about her condition."

"There is no need for her to know of my involvement." Toshiro retorted almost immediately, and the member of the Fourth Division blinked at that. Dropping his arms to his sides, Toshiro straightened his back, mentally cursing the fact that the girl in front of him was as tall as he was. "Do not tell her about my meetings with you."

"A-Ah, okay…" Mika managed to respond as she nodded a little hesitantly, "But…I told Lieutenant Hinamori that you came to visit her after she was brought here."

Toshiro's eyebrow twitched at that, and Mika smiled a little tensely at his reaction before she decided to continue.

"That was the only time I told her, and I only did it because she asked me about you, Captain Hitsugaya." she tried to explain, but Toshiro's eyebrow simply continued twitching. "I was not aware I wasn't supposed to say it."

For a moment nothing was said until Toshiro crossed his arms against his chest again. Taking a deep breath in, the young Captain turned around, and made his way towards the door. When he was about to reach out for the doorknob, though, he stopped.

"Just make sure you say nothing unnecessary next time."

And without bothering to give Mika any time to reply, Toshiro pushed the door aside, and walked away.

* * *

_Are you scared?_

One pair of round orbs glanced around in the darkness.

_Aizen-sama no longer needs you._

The grey eyes looked down for a second at those words before they were raised again.

_There's no one left to protect you._

Two pallid and delicate hands were closed into fists at that statement, the pair of grey orbs darting everywhere, searching for the one who was speaking.

_You're finished._

A pair of lips parted as soon as the deep voice faded away, but no sound reverberated from the quiet vocal cords.

_You will die here all on your own, without anyone to hold on to._

"No…" was the first word to escape from her still slightly parted lips, but the girl continued gazing everywhere, struggling to find the source of the voice she was listening to.

_You have no one to hold on to._

Resting a clenched hand against her chest, Orihime continued gazing around her, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face. She knew who was talking to her…she recalled him saying those exact same words weeks before, but this time there was something different…the feelings inside of her were different…

…For some abnormal reason, she was afraid…

…For some odd reason, she was scared…

"You're wrong!" she managed to exclaim as she focused her attention on the darkness in front of her, "I have my friends!

_Nonsense._

Orihime felt her breath get stuck on her throat at that simple word, and she unconsciously raised her other hand to her chest as well. Suddenly, footsteps started echoing from behind her, and the girl looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see Ulquiorra himself..

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw she was wrong.

_You're unafraid because of your friends?_

Orihime felt dread spring from the pit of her stomach as she continued staring at the figure standing behind her while her heart beat at full speed against her rib cage.

_Do you seriously believe that?_

A human face was being concealed by a bestial mask, horns cutting the air like sharp knives. Dark and thick lines run down the creature's cheeks, giving it an even more ferocious expression….

And in the middle of his chest was the horrid round hole, cursed by sinister crimson smudges that had once represented the beast's humanity…

"K-Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime heard herself whisper, her eyes still widened in both horror and surprise, and another drop of sweat fell down her face. The beast, however, simply stood in the middle of the darkness, holding a black _zanpakutou_.

_Will you hold onto that?_

Orihime struggled to ignore Ulquiorra's voice as she continued staring at the figure in front of her. A deep pain had already embraced her chest, but the girl tried to grow oblivious of it by turning around, so that she was facing the silent creature.

"Kuro…" Orihime trailed off before she raised her right hand, and wrapped her fingers around her left elbow. Then, she looked down, and waited for the moment when he would raise his zanpakutou, and attack her.

"Inoue…" a guttural voice echoed all around her, and Orihime opened her eyes slowly before she decided to raise her head. Nervously, she stared at the creature in front of her, and tried to take a deep breath in when she noticed that he was pointing the _zanpakutou_ at her.

"I went after you …" the beast spoke up, and Orihime had to stop herself from looking away, "I fought for you… I bled for you… I protected you…"

Orihime involuntarily increased her grip on her elbow at those words.

"I died for you…"

"I'm sorry!" Orihime forced herself to say as she closed her eyes and dropped her shoulders at same time she struggled not to show her teary orbs, "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to help you! I'm so sorry!"

"You still have to bleed…" Orihime felt a shiver run up her spine at those words, and she bit her lower lip. "You still have to die…"

When was that going to end?

When was that pain finally going to be erased from her soul?

"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime sobbed as she raised her head, causing a few tears to roll down her cheeks, "Kurosaki-kun I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for being so weak! I'm…I'm so sorry!"

"Me too…"

When those words reached her ears, Orihime stared at the beast right in the eye, and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw how soft the brown orbs she so dearly loved had become. However, before her brain could even process that unexpected change, the sound of a blade cutting the air caught her attention, and Orihime let out a gasp when she saw the black _zanpakutou_ coming down, in direction of her head.

Gasping, Orihime sat down on her futon, tears spilling down her cheeks while her heart was hammering against her chest. Immediately, the girl raised her hands to her face, and struggled not to weep too loudly.

"Orihime…"

Still crying, the young woman looked up from her hands, and felt more tears blurring her vision at the sight of a very worried looking fairy-like creature. Behind Lily appeared all the other elements of Orihime's _Shun Shun Rikka_.

"Orihime, are you okay?" Ayame asked as she floated closer to the trembling human, "What can we do to help you?"

Despite of everything, Orihime did not know the answer to that question. She honestly did not even know why she kept remembering such bleeding reminiscences. With all the current training that Hachigen had chosen for her, Orihime had been positive that things would get better.

She had been so certain…

"She's a weakling!"

Orihime snapped back from her thoughts at that statement, but before she could even react, Tsubaki appeared in front of her nose, a finger pointing at her.

"Why are you so damn weak? Why the hell are you crying over a dream? If you feel that bad then do something about it, stupid girl!"

"Oi! Shut it!" Lily exclaimed all of a sudden as she appeared behind Tsubaki, and punched him on top of his head. "Don't be so harsh on her!"

As the fairy-like creatures in front of her started fighting among each other (well, more like Tsubaki and Lily while the others tried to calm them down), Orihime started thinking about her nightmare.

There had been something different that time…she could still feel that in her heart, but the strange part was that she could not recall what.

_Me too…_

Widening her eyes when those two whispered words echoed from the back of her mind, Orihime stared at the flying creatures in front of her. Then, before her brain could even process what she was doing, the girl raised a hand, and wrapped her fingers around Tsubaki's figure.

"Hey, what the hell…?"

"We have to go…" Orihime muttered, still holding the struggling Tsubaki with her hand, and all the other fairy-like creatures turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Lily inquired as she raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Orihime turned to her, "Where are we going?"

"To the warehouse…"

What Orihime did not know was that as she silently stood up from her futon, a pair of brown orbs was staring at the full moon, which was standing still on top of the dark heavens. The moonlight was cuddling the spiky tresses of Kurosaki Ichigo as the young man continued studying the sky, a scowl on his face.

_I'm sorry!_

Growling at the voice that echoed in his mind, Ichigo continued staring at the heavens, ignoring the fact that was the first clear night he was enjoying ever since the end of the war. Unconsciously, he raised a hand towards the hilt of the sword that was resting next to him, his eyes still locked with the stars.

He had had an extremely agonizing nightmare, one that he clearly did not understand.

In the nightmare had been a weeping Orihime, and then himself. However, the fact was that Ichigo had not felt like he had been the one standing in front to his friend. During the whole dream, he had felt like he was looking through someone else's eyes…

…Someone who had hurt Orihime deeply…

Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo tried to recall all sort of details from his nightmares.

_I'm so sorry I wasn't __able to help you! I'm so sorry!_

He recalled Orihime staring at him or rather at the person whose eyes he was using to observe everything. He remembered her eyes widening in horror…he recalled her begging…he remembered her pained expression, and the tears streaming down her cheeks…

He knew she had uttered a name, and for some reason Ichigo was almost sure she had voiced his name, but how could that be? How could she have muttered his name when he was sure that it had not him who had been standing in front of her?

And then there were the words that had escaped from his supposed lips… Those two little words that seemed to pierce his soul every time he recalled them…

"Me too…" Ichigo whispered, ignoring the sudden bitter breeze that blew from north, caressing his face. Looking down, Ichigo found himself staring at his _zanpakutou_, but when his fingers caressed the blade of the sword, he felt an odd shiver run up his spine.

_...You. Help you. I'll help you._

Ichigo's eyes widened at the foreign and guttural voice that seemed to echo around him, but before he could try to process what had just happened, a new voice spoke from behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Gradually, Ichigo looked over his shoulder, his eyebrows still puckered in concentration. Standing not too far from him, also dressed in her _shinigami_ outfit, was Rukia, a concerned expression on her face.

"You should be in bed; it's school day tomorrow."

"That means you should be following your own advice." Ichigo retorted, without bothering to be polite, but Rukia did not look fazed by his rudeness. "If you don't need anything, then just leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Rukia responded as she shook her head, and she cautiously made her way towards her friend's side, "Damn it, Ichigo, why won't you just tell me what's going on with you lately? I want to help!"

"Well, I don't need your damn help!" Ichigo almost shouted back as he glared at Rukia, who glared back at him. "Just leave me the hell alone!"

"Why can't you see that all I want is to help you?" Rukia yelled back as she continued standing next to Ichigo so that she had to look down in order to keep her eyes locked with his, "Why can't you just see that whatever's going on with you is affecting you?"

"Just leave me alone, Rukia!" Ichigo roared as he stood up from the rooftop, but Rukia still managed not to break the eye-contact. "Damn it!"

"Damn it, man, you're such an ass." a third voice stated all of a sudden, but Ichigo still stared angrily at Rukia for a moment before he finally looked to his side. "And don't talk to Rukia like that. She's just worried about you, you bastard."

When his eyes fell upon a familiar face, Ichigo felt his anger dissipate to some extent.

"What the hell…?" he muttered as Abarai Renji continued walking towards him, also dressed in his _shinigami_ outfit. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Why do you think I'd be here?" Renji asked, the corner of his lips curling upwards into a knowing smirk, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the question, "I'm here to kick your ass."

**To Be Continued…**


	8. In Our Blood We Exist

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

O.M.G.! It's been such a long time since I last updated this story! Does anyone still remember this? Oh, I hope so!

I really need to apologize to everyone for taking so long to update this story. The truth is that I have been going through a rather tough moment in my life, and it has been very complicated for me to update any of my stories. I really apologize for this delay! I promise I will do my best to update as soon as possible.

Thank you for the attention.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

In Our Blood We Exist

When he had accepted to return to the real world, and give Rukia a hand with her supposedly new mission, he had never expected to see that things had not improved at all. He had expected to see his friends hanging around, content about the fact all of them were together, but instead all he saw were broken bonds and open wounds.

And he had been surprised to notice that the most injured bond was the one between Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime.

On the first couple of days, he had tried to find out what could have happened for Ichigo and Orihime to be so far away from each other. However, when not even Rukia managed to give him the answers he needed, he had decided to find it out by himself.

The problem was that apparently no one was willing to help him out. Not even Uryuu appeared to be interested in helping him, not because that meant aiding a _shinigami_, but because Ishida Uryuu himself did not seem to be aware of what was going on either.

"Sometimes, you just have to hate this job." Renji muttered to himself as he crossed his arms behind his neck, and lay down on the floor of Ichigo's bedroom. Soon enough, Rukia's head emerged from inside the closet.

"Did you just say something?" she asked, and Renji glanced at her before he focused his eyes on the ceiling.

"I was just talking to myself." he admitted before taking a deep breath, and Rukia blinked at that. "I just never expected for things to be as they are, you know? I always thought that after we returned from Las Noches, everything would be all right and yet…"

"Trust me, I know what you mean." Rukia interrupted him as she jumped from inside the closet, and sat down next to him, a frown on her face. "I've been trying to figure out what to do ever since I got here, but no matter what I do, I just can't get to Ichigo. He just refuses to tell me about what's going on!"

"At least you are aware that if you don't make Ichigo talk, then no one else will." Renji declared, and Rukia sighed at that. "I mean, every time that guy went through some rough times you were the one who'd make him snap back to reality."

"Sometimes, I wish I wasn't the one…" Rukia mumbled, but when she saw the way Renji was staring at her, she shrugged. "I mean, about this whole situation…I really think I won't be the one to help Ichigo out this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Renji questioned as he unhurriedly sat down on the floor, facing Rukia, who let out another sigh.

"I honestly think that this time Ichigo will only talk to me after he makes amends with Inoue."

"You do know that probably won't happen any time soon, don't you?" Renji inquired, a serious look on his face and Rukia crossed her arms against her chest, before nodding. "Are you really sure about this?"

"No, but it's not as if I know what to do right now." Rukia responded with a small shrug, "Besides, maybe waiting won't be that bad. Perhaps Ichigo and Inoue will realize that they do need to talk things over and then…"

"Ah, I guess I should wait comfortably, then." Renji interrupted her as he lay down again, his entwined fingers resting behind his head, and Rukia looked strangely at him. When he saw the way the young woman was staring at him, Renji shrugged. "I mean, if we're depended on Kurosaki and Inoue then things _will_ take a while."

Rukia simply sighed at that.

Suddenly the door of the bedroom was opened, and Ichigo walked inside while carrying a tray. Without bothering to say a word, Renji watched as his male friend put the tray on top of his desk, revealing three cups and a cake.

"Yuzu prepared this snack for us." Ichigo informed as he sat down on his blue chair, and crossed his arms against his chest. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important," Rukia responded as she stood up, and moved closer to the desk. She curiously eyed the cake baked by Ichigo's youngest sister before she reached out for it. "We were just talking about how everybody's going."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, we were wondering if we should ask for someone to go talk to Inoue." Renji added, ignoring the way Rukia glared at him at that statement, and Ichigo frowned at that. "I mean, we've all noticed that she's behaving rather weirdly and all that…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo questioned as he puckered his eyebrows in confusion, but Renji did not even bother to sit up in order to face him. "Inoue's fine. Sure she's a little tired, but after everything she went through, I don't think we can blame her."

"Oh c'mon, you can't keep using that as an excuse, you know?" Renji asked as he tilted his head backwards so that he could stare at Ichigo, although that meant seeing his friend upside down. "It will eventually get old."

"Shut up."

"C'mon guys, let's not start fighting." Rukia warned them as she sat down on Ichigo's bed before nibbling on the piece of cake she was holding. "Like I said, we were just talking."

"Yeah, right…" Renji agreed, without sounding too convincing, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes in suspicion at that. Letting out a sigh, Renji stared at the ceiling again, and had to stop himself from shaking his head in irritation.

Only heavens knew how Kurosaki Ichigo had managed to survive in such world for so long…

* * *

She looked more tired than usual. Her smile looked feeble and fake, but he knew it would be better if he let that pass. Besides, he knew that inquiring about her condition would most likely lead to a very pitiful excuse, and he really did not want to make her lie over something like that.

Instead, he smoothly handed her the ice cream she had picked, with a peculiar combination that could only be chosen by her. Then, without uttering a word, he sat down on the seat across from hers, while holding an ice cream he had chosen for himself.

Although he was not exactly fond of eating ice cream during winter, he knew that was one of the best opportunities to help Orihime loosen up. All he hoped was that his plan went as efficiently as he had planned.

"Thank you, Ishida-kun." Orihime thanked as she grabbed her small spoon, her weary eyes staring at the odd combination. Carefully, she submerged the spoon in the ice cream before raising it towards her lips.

A content hum escaped from her throat as she tasted the ice cream, and he had to stop himself from smiling at her actions. At least that showed she was comfortable enough to feel at ease.

"So, Inoue-san, do you have plans for this weekend?" Uryuu decided to ask as he crossed his legs under the table, and Orihime stared at him for a moment before she looked down.

"Yes, I do." she answered, and Uryuu calmly observed as a drained frown appeared on her face. However, as soon as such fatigue appeared it was gone, and Uryuu rested his chin on his entwined hands.

"That's a shame. I was planning on asking you to go watch a movie with me," he observed, and Orihime looked confusedly at him. "But since you have things to do, I shall postpone that invitation."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." Uryuu said as he continued to study Orihime's facial expressions. Quietly, the girl put the spoon down, and rested her hands on her lap. "I'm sure there will be other opportunities. We may even ask some other people to go with us, such as Kurosaki and perhaps even Arisawa-san."

The way she reacted to those names would have passed unnoticed had Uryuu not been paying attention. Her eyes had widened slightly at the sound of Ichigo's name while her face had relaxed when he had uttered Tatsuki's.

There was indeed something going on, but the problem was that Uryuu knew that Orihime was never going to tell him. Uryuu was positive that all he would be able to hear from her lips would be simple fragments of events that had occurred in Las Noches.

Uryuu was aware that the only person to whom Orihime would eventually talk would be Ichigo. The problem was that the two of them no longer felt comfortable around each other…at least not enough to make them feel at easy to talk about such moments.

_I don't feel Kurosaki's reiatsu. Where is he?!_

Closing his eyes as a memory overcame his senses, Uryuu found himself staring directly at the top of the dome, in Las Noches. And next to him, observing in fright what was occurring was Orihime.

And on top of the dome, holding Ichigo with his long tail was non-other than the Quarta Espada, Ulquiorra.

_So you've come, girl._

_Kuro…saki…kun?_

_You're just in time. Watch closely. This is the moment the man you've put your hopes in, will lose his life._

_STOP!!!_

"Ishida-kun?"

Snapping from his thoughts when his name tickled his ears, Uryuu opened his eyes, and stared at the auburn haired girl in front of him. A concerned mask was written all over her face, making him shake his head.

"Sorry, I was just…thinking about something." Uryuu explained before he decided to reach out for his own spoon. "I apologize for dozing off."

Looking down, Orihime twiddled with her thumbs for a moment before she licked her lips. She was obviously pondering about something, and even though he could not be sure, he was half tempted to say that she was thinking about something related to Las Noches.

"Ishida-kun…" Orihime called out again, her voice coming out above a whisper, and Uryuu dropped his spoon again. "Do you…I mean, do you ever think about…"

"Oh, Orihime!" a voice exclaimed all of a sudden, and while the said girl turned to gaze to her left, Uryuu had to restrain himself from letting out an exasperate sigh. "I never thought I'd find you here."

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime greeted, the corner of her lips curling upwards into a smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Funny you ask, but I suddenly had this crave for ice cream." Tatsuki responded as she approached them before shrugging. "Go figure. I was never a big fan of ice cream during winter."

"Oh, but it's so awesome!" Orihime said as she turned to her side so that she was facing her friend, "You feel these chills run up your spine! It's a very good feeling!"

"Only you to think that about something as trivial as to eat ice cream in the middle of January." Tatsuki observed before she gazed at Uryuu, and for a moment she just stared at him before she looked at Orihime again. "I'm sorry, but…am I interrupting something?"

"N—"

"Oh, Ishida-kun invited me for some ice cream this afternoon, and now we were just talking." Orihime answered before she turned to the Quincy. "And I think I forgot to thank you for the invitation, so…thank you, Ishida-kun."

"There's no need to thank me." Uryuu replied as he looked back at the auburn haired girl, but he knew that Tatsuki was staring at him. Well, it was not as if he could blame her; he and Orihime rarely met alone. "Would you like to join us, Arizawa-san?"

"Is it really alright for me to accept that invitation?" Tatsuki asked as she looked from Uryuu to Orihime, who smiled at her before nodding.

"The more the merrier!" Orihime pointed out, and Tatsuki smiled warmly at her friend before turning to Uryuu again.

"Then, I accept."

Well, Uryuu guessed, there would be other opportunities for him to talk to Orihime.

* * *

_She must learn to control her power. She must learn to control her mind._

Calmly, Shinkai Hasu wandered through the empty streets of Karakura. It was past midnight, and most people were already resting in their respective homes. She knew that Orihime was already in her house, along with Matsumoto Rangiku and Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Crossing her arms against her chest, the woman entered through the open gates of a park. The bitter wind continuously licked her legs as it played with her short skirt, but Hasu felt no cold. She was far too focused in her mission to pay attention to the wintry temperatures. Instead, she made her way towards the swings, and sat down in one of them.

_You have worked with her. You must guide her. However, do not get close to her. You are a member of the Eleventh Division; keep that in mind._

Closing her eyes, Shinkai pressed her arms even harder against her chest. Yes, that was her mission; to guide Inoue Orihime, and then return to Seireitei. She was not allowed to let her feelings get in the way.

It was her pride as the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division that was at stake.

"What are you doing here?"

Looking to her side, Hasu watched as Captain Hitsugaya emerged from the shadows. Like her, he appeared to have no interest in the weather. Then again, he did handle the strongest of all ice element _zanpakutou_ in Soul Society.

After bowing in respect, Hasu stared at the cloudy sky before crossing her left leg over her right one.

"Just thinking." she decided to answer, and Toshiro waited a few seconds before he decided to approach her, his arms also folded against his chest.

"About Inoue Orihime."

"Yes." Hasu answered, without bothering to explain her thoughts, "I was pondering about her current condition."

"You were told to watch over her." Toshiro declared, and once again, Hasu nodded in silent agreement. "You were told to aid her with her power."

Silently, Hasu glanced sideways at the Captain of the Tenth Division, a blank mask on her face. Toshiro, on the other hand, simply looked back at her with his usual frown.

"You are here to help Inoue Orihime overcome her fears." Toshiro proceeded when Hasu did not say anything. "The only thing I cannot figure out is what you're doing to aid her."

"I apologize, but I cannot tell her that." Hasu finally decided to point out, and Toshiro narrowed his eyes at that. "I was ordered not to speak a word about my mission in the real world. I have informed you that I am indeed here to help Inoue Orihime, but I cannot say anything else."

"Those were your orders, and I shall respect them." Toshiro stated, "However, I must tell you that if Inoue Orihime's life is put in jeopardize because of your actions; you will have to answer to me."

"I understand." Hasu responded with a short nod, and it was then that Orihime's voice echoed from the back of her mind.

_I'm in your care. Please, take care of me._

And Hasu planned to do just that.

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Crescent Moon

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**SLTora**_, _**aej1085**_ and _**innocent swindler01**_ for your support. I really hope everyone will continue to enjoy this story!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Crescent Moon

The moon had never looked so breathtaking before. It appeared to be made of the purest silver as it continued to glow intensely on the dark heavens above. There were no stars, but there was also no need for them to exist.

The Crescent Moon itself was enough to enlighten everything. The Crescent Moon itself was enough to caress all surfaces below as it also embraced one of the deadliest moments of all.

Two figures could be spotted on top of the dome; one with a grotesque figure was holding the other, a young man, by his neck. A perfect yet cursed hole had been created in the centre of the young man's chest, blood had been splattered everywhere…

…And the profound silence of that place was only shattered by the hammering tune of a horrified heart.

One pair of widened grey orbs was locked with the two figures, terror running through the girl's veins. Her heart was beating desperately against her chest as she watched the grotesque figure threw the lifeless body away.

It could not be!

"No!" she shouted as she rushed towards the falling corpse, her powers working before she could even process one single thought. Her heart was hammering against her rib cage, her whole body shaking in horror as she continued running. Gasps escaped from her lips as she struggled to breathe, her eyes locked with the unmoving body lying on the ground at the distance.

"It's useless."

The monstrous figure suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her path. Bullets of sweat rolled down her face as she stared at it, her eyes widened in despair and horror. His face was as pallid as the moon above, and it was as lifeless as that deadly night.

"No matter how badly you wish to help, your meagre powers cannot save him from his fate."

Her insides felt as if they were tearing apart as those words played with her mind. No thoughts had enough strength to emerge from the bottom of her soul for all of her being was focused solemnly on the person she was so urgently trying to reach out for.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear." the figure in front of her continued, even though she was now lost within her own soul, trying frantically to find something, anything that she could do. "It's useless."

No. No. _No!_ It could not be useless. That could not be the end. All she had done was to hold onto the belief that he would be alright even if she was not with him. All she had done was to trust in him!

As the grotesque figure continued standing in front of her, black wings spread to the sides; she felt all air dissipate from her being. She needed to go to him. She needed to see him. She needed to help him!

"Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted as she sat up straight, the sweat that was rolling down her face quickly getting mixed with hot tears. For a moment, Orihime simply parted her lips, and tried to fill her anguished lungs with oxygen. Her mind was still lost in the memories she had just dreamt about, making it impossible for the girl to recognize the place where she was.

Orihime was only brought back to the present when a hand fell on her shoulders.

"You are safe."

Timorously, Orihime looked behind her only to widen her eyes a little at the sight of Shinkai Hasu. Without thinking about what she was doing, the girl turned around, and wrapped her arms around Hasu's torso. Shaking, Orihime finally allowed for more tears to roll down her flushed cheeks while Hasu's hands continued resting on her shoulders.

"You are safe." Hasu repeated as she allowed for the girl to cry on her chest while grasping the front of her shirt. Then, the member of the Eleventh Division looked ahead, eyes narrowed slightly. "Hachigen Ushōda, we shall leave now."

"I understand." Ushōda responded with a short nod, "However, before you go, I'd like to share a word with Orihime-chan, if possible."

The auburn haired girl almost failed to hear that comment through her sobs. However, Hasu's tender push caused the girl to glance over her shoulder at the physically largest Vizard. For a moment, everything was quiet until Ushōda cleared his throat, and moved closer to Orihime.

"You have been working really hard, Orihime-chan." he pointed out, his hands clasped in front of his legs. "But you are also mentally exhausted. The fact you refuse to talk to someone about what happened in the past is blocking your power. I know you're doing your best, but I also know that you won't get better until you overcome this obstacle."

"Inoue," Hasu called out after a short period of silence, and Orihime turned to face her. Closing her eyes, the auburn haired girl allowed for her teacher to raise a hand, and wipe her tears away. "You told me you'd work hard. You told me you'd do your best. So do it."

"I-I…" Orihime stuttered as she opened her eyes again, and Hasu slowly dropped her hand. Her heart was still beating tremendously fast against her rib cage, a normal reaction to what she had just dreamt of, but also due to the insecurity she was just feeling. "I…I…"

"Stop doubting yourself." Hasu declared as she rested her hands on both sides of Orihime's face. "Listen to Hachigen. How do you expect to improve if you refuse to leave this weakling condition of yours? How do you want to protect him if you cannot even protect yourself?"

Orihime's teary eyes widened at that, and she felt her breath get stuck on her throat. She knew Hasu was right. She knew that if she wanted to protect Ichigo…if she wanted to stay by his side, she needed to improve.

She needed to talk about her fears.

"He's not only the guy who swore to protect you." Hasu continued as she locked eyes with Orihime. "She's not just the guy who went to search for you after you disappeared. He is first, and most importantly, your friend. You owe him that."

She was right.

"I-I…I know…" Orihime finally confessed, her trembling voice coming out above a whisper, and flashes of what had happened in Las Noches started flooding her mind. "I know, but…but…"

"Talk to him, Inoue." Hasu pressed the matter, and Orihime stared uncertainty at her. "Or else go home, and don't bother to return. Hachigen may have accepted to help you, but if you refuse to do what you must do to improve, then you are wasting his time and mine as well."

Glancing at Ushōda, Orihime noticed that Hasu was correct. Albeit Ushōda was a very generous person, and had willingly accepted to help her, he was wasting his time. And he would continue to waste his time until she accepted to change…

…Until she accepted to stop running away.

"Okay…" Orihime heard herself whisper as she dropped her gaze, and stared down at her knees. "I…I will talk to…him…"

What Orihime could not admit out loud, however, was that the simple thought of approaching Ichigo to talk about Las Noches frightened her profoundly.

* * *

_Help me, Kurosaki-kun!_

_She's calling. _

_She's calling me. I can hear her._

_Stand! Stand up!_

_I…I…I __will protect her!_

Various eyes widened as a sadistic tide wave of reiatsu fell down on their shoulders. Various heads turned around as they looked at the centre of the classroom, directly at a sleeping form. His chin was resting on his hand while bullets of sweat were rolling down his face as he frowned in his sleep.

If they did not act, something really bad would happen.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted from her seat as she kicked the boy's desk with her left foot. Her scream was enough to make everyone go silent, including the teacher. Ichigo, for being asleep, found himself hitting his head on top of his desk.

"What on earth is going on back there?" the teacher asked as she rested her hands on her hips, a mad expression on her face. For a moment, though, Rukia just watched as Ichigo groaned in pain before she turned to the teacher.

"I'm sorry, sensei, there was this…huge bug on Ichigo's desk, and he didn't see it," she apologized. "I was just trying to get his attention."

"Remember to use the normal and quiet way of getting anyone's attention next time, Kuchiki-san, or else…" when the teacher trailed off, Rukia took the chance to nod in understanding. Then, she gazed sideways at Ichigo only to see him rubbing his forehead.

"What the hell…?"

"I told you to be careful." Rukia hissed through her teeth, and Ichigo turned to her. "What the hell do you think you're doing, dozing off in the middle of class? Do you want something bad to happen here?"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo hissed back, and Rukia rolled her eyes.

"As if you don't know!" she replied in a low yet very irritated tone, and Ichigo looked away. It was only then that the young man noticed that all of his closest friends were staring worriedly at him. Including Orihime…

When his eyes found Orihime's, Ichigo could not help but feel something boil inside of his body. Unconsciously, he pressed a hand against his stomach, but the feeling did not dissipate. It was almost as if something was trying to claw its way out.

Something exceptionally sinister and powerful…

_...You. Help you. I'll help you._

Ichigo widened his eyes in surprise when a feral voice echoed from the back of his brain. There was something so familiar about those words…so dangerous yet so real…

"Kurosaki-kun…" Ichigo heard Orihime whisper, and he turned to look at her again. It was easy to perceive that she was worried; worried about him. And then there was something in the depths of her eyes that told Ichigo that she knew what he had just dreamt about.

"I'm sorry." Orihime apologized all of a sudden, in a feeble tone, and Ichigo felt his insides tighten at the look on her face. She knew…for some reason Ichigo could not understand, she knew what he had dreamt about.

And it was also then that Orihime stood up from her seat, and rushed out of the classroom.

"Oi!" the teacher called out, but before Ichigo could even think about reacting to what had just happened, Uryuu got up from his chair.

"Please, allow me to go see what's wrong with Inoue-san." he requested with a short bow, "She informed me that she was feeling a little under the weather before classes started so if you'll excuse me…"

Without giving time for the teacher to respond, Uryuu turned to his side, and gazed at Ichigo before he rushed out of the classroom. From his seat, Ichigo unconsciously closed his hands into tight fists. Then, before someone could even say something, he also stood up, and stormed out of the classroom, ignoring his teacher's cry of anger.

He honestly did not understand what was going on. His nightmares were becoming more frequent, and his mind was a mess. The more he tried to comprehend what was going on, the harder it was for him to separate reality from fantasy.

And then there was the expression Orihime had sent him.

"What the hell is going on?" Ichigo asked to himself through his teeth as he rushed down the hallway. Everything around him was quiet, with exception of a few muffled voices that occasionally erupted from the surrounding classrooms. "Damn it!"

For a long period of time, Ichigo just ran around through the school's building without even bothering to be quiet. His mind was focused on Orihime's expression while his body sporadically vibrated with a power Ichigo could not really figure out.

Finally, as Ichigo was about to rush out of school, he stopped his tracks. Wheezing, he ran the back of his hand across his chin as sweat continued rolling down his face. For a moment, he just tried to regain his breathing, and closed his eyes.

Focus. If he focused he would be able to find Orihime's reiatsu.

Everything around Ichigo faded away as he tried to find the girl's energy through the silence. Even the lowest of all voices vanished as Ichigo tried to pinpoint Orihime's energy while he hoping for her to still be inside the school's building.

Opening his eyes, Ichigo turned to his side as he stared at the ceiling.

The school's rooftop!

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo stormed up the closest staircase. His lungs were burning, aching for air, but the orange haired boy ignored it as he almost flew up the stairs. All he wanted was to find Orihime… All he wanted was to find and talk to Orihime…

All he wanted was to finally put a stop to all those confusing nightmares…

"Inoue!" Ichigo called out when he reached the top of the last staircase, his eyes locked with the closed door that lead to the rooftop. Without blinking, he turned the doorknob around, and ran through the open door only to widen his eyes in shock.

A cold breeze was blowing outside, carrying a few clouds through the heavens. Tranquillity ruled the rooftop as time continued to roll by with no rush. And a few feet away from where Ichigo stood, completely breathless, were both Orihime and Uryuu.

Hugging.

"What the…?"

**To Be Continued…**


	10. The Thread of Our Hearts

**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ belongs to **Tite Kubo**. Maresia Eterna only owns her Original Characters and the plot.

Hello everyone! Long time no see! I really must apologize to you for taking so long to update. My life has been a real chaos lately, and some personal problems got in the way. Thankfully, I finally managed to find some time to write this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it. It has an Ichigo x Orihime scene that I really enjoyed writing.

I apologize for any Out of Character moments, though.

Thank you for the attention!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The Thread of Our Hearts

They were practicing _kidō_ spells, and they all looked great. Their bodies were moving around, revealing how well they had recovered. Their flushed cheeks showed how healthy they were growing at each new day.

Occasionally they would laugh out loud as well, amused by each others actions.

Smiling at herself, Edogawa Mika scribbled a few things on the chart she was holding. Before she could complete the last sentence, however, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and the young woman looked over her shoulder.

Turning around on her heels, Mika pressed her chart against her chest before bowing in respect.

"Captain Hitsugaya." she greeted before she gazed at the person standing next to the white haired boy only to nod again. "Shinkai-san…"

"Edogawa-san…" was all Hasu said in return as she also nodded slightly in greeting, but Toshiro simply continued observing Hinamori Momo practicing _kidō_ spells with Hisagi Shuhei and Izuru Kira.

"How is she?"

"She's doing great." Mika immediately replied as she focused her attention on the quiet Captain, and then she also gazed at the three Lieutenants. "All of them are doing amazingly well."

"Why are you watching them?" Hasu questioned as she also stared at the three young adults, training in the clearing. Sharply, she stared at the healer. "If they are alright, you have no business here."

"Captain Unohana asked me to keep an eye on them for a while." Mika explained as she turned in Hasu's direction. "However, I'm simply keeping a report. You do not have to worry about their wellbeing."

A moment of silence followed Mika's reassurance, and the healer took the opportunity to study both Toshiro and Hasu as the two of them observed their friends. Captain Hitsugaya, the "child prodigy", was an extremely serious person. He was also exceptionally mature, albeit Mika had already noticed he was a little irritable as well.

Not attracted to humour, Toshiro had revealed to be a person with a particularly sharp intuition. He always seemed to know when something was wrong with Lieutenant Hinamori, which revealed how close the two of them were even though he constantly tried to deny their intimacy.

As for Shinkai Hasu…well, Mika had to admit that at first glance, Hasu appears to be a very cold, strong-minded and extremely reserved woman. Mika guessed she had modelled herself after Eleventh Division's Captain, who Hasu appeared to have a high regard for. Hasu also appeared to share a bond with Lieutenant Hisagi, although Mika could not really explain their current relationship.

"Excuse me…" Hasu spoke all of a sudden, and Mika blinked when she felt the taller woman walk past her. Moving her head, Mika followed Hasu's form until her brain finally processed the fact that Hasu was going to meet with the three Lieutenants.

Toshiro, on the other hand, did not move an inch.

"Will you be joining them, Captain Hitsugaya?" Mika dared to ask as she focused her attention on the young man that was still standing next to her.

Toshiro, upon hearing that question, glanced sideways at her. His face was expressionless as always while his eyes did not reflect any sort of unnecessary emotion.

"There's no need." was all he said in response, and despite of everything, Mika could not help but think that he was right.

* * *

Orihime could not explain the anxiety that had fallen on her shoulders when she heard the door of the rooftop swung open. Not when she was aware of Uryuu's arms around her, and especially not when she knew who was observing them.

For what resembled to an eternity, Orihime simply kept her hands leaning against Uryuu's chest while the last Quincy was still gently pressing her against him. Orihime had actually been the one to embrace him in a desperate gesture to hold onto something that could offer her a little bit of reassurance.

What Orihime had not been expecting was for Ichigo to also appear in the rooftop.

"Kurosaki…" Orihime heard Uryuu mutter as he also stared at the orange haired boy, and he quietly dropped his arms. Silently, she also gave a step backwards before she turned to gaze at Ichigo as well.

The scowl on his face looked so deep…he looked so angry…

"What the…?"

"What are you doing here, Kurosaki?" Uryuu interrupted his friend, and unconsciously Orihime dropped her gaze. "Last time I checked, you were not at all interested in what was going on…"

"The hell I wasn't!" Ichigo practically roared, and Orihime cringed at his loud tone, "What the hell is going on around here?"

"How much of an idiot are you? I was comforting Inoue-san." Uryuu calmly explained as he glanced sideways at the said girl, who was still looking down while holding her right elbow with her left hand. "She needed a shoulder, and since I'm her friend, I decided to be here for her."

"Well, I—"

"Ishida-kun…" Orihime whispered, unconsciously interrupting a fuming Ichigo. Timidly, she raised her head, and looked nervously at Uryuu. "Can you leave us alone? I…I need to talk to…Kurosaki-kun…"

"Inoue-san…"

Orihime truly did not have to gaze at Uryuu's eyes to know that he was worried about her. Everyone was worried about her, and Orihime knew it was time to stop feeling sorry for herself. Just like Hasu had told her, it was time for Orihime to take a deep breath, and just talk to Ichigo about everything that was haunting her.

"Please…" Orihime softly requested, and Uryuu sighed. It was obvious, really, the fact that Uryuu knew why Orihime wanted to be alone with Ichigo. "And…can you please apologize to sensei for me?"

"Don't worry, I got that covered." Uryuu responded with a small smile, and Orihime simply could not help but smile back at him. After a small nod, the Quincy turned to his side, and made his way towards the rooftop's door.

When Uryuu finally left the rooftop, Ichigo's scowl had grown even deeper, which Orihime found strange. Uryuu had not stopped to talk to Ichigo, and yet it was almost as if something had happened between the two boys when Uryuu had walked past Ichigo.

Oh well, perhaps it was just her imagination.

"So…"

"So…" Orihime mimicked Ichigo as she dropped her gaze, and entwined her fingers behind her back. Looking at her feet, the girl struggled to come up with something to say, but in truth she doubted she would be able to speak her thoughts properly. Her mind was a mess, and flashes of a past not so distant kept haunting her.

It was just troublesome to try and find anything to say in the middle of such chaos.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened in Las Noches?"

Orihime could not help but wince at Ichigo's straightforward question. Memories of a beast quickly emerged from the back of her mind, and Orihime had to stop herself from shuddering in response to those moments.

_...What are you doing?_

Orihime gasped when a familiar voice echoed from the back of her mind, but she kept staring at her feet. Why? Why did she have to recall that scene right on that moment?

_I'm asking why you helped him._

Closing her eyes, Orihime struggled to throw that voice to the back of her head again. She honestly did not have the energy to deal with Ulquiorra's questions on that moment.

_Because he's your friend? Then why didn't you protect him from the first blow?_

Frowning, Orihime continued trying to close Ulquiorra's voice inside the drawer she had created in her mind. All she had to do was to shove that voice inside, and then quickly close the drawer before locking it up. So…why? Why wasn't she succeeding in shutting that voice down?

_Why did you hesitate?_

"Because I don't want to be a burden…"

"Inoue?"

Widening her eyes at her name, Orihime raised her head only to gasp when she noticed that Ichigo was standing two feet away from her. Stumbling backwards, she felt her back leaning against the balcony's fence.

"Hey, don't lean against that." Ichigo warned, but it took Orihime a few seconds for her to realize that he did not want her leaning against the railing. Nodding, she rested a hand against her chest, and gave one step forward.

She needed to keep a safe distance between her and Ichigo. That way she would not feel as discomfited or as panicky...or so she hoped.

"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime started after licking her lips, and she felt the palms of her hands growing sweatier. Her heartbeat was unhurriedly but indubitably increasing as she stared at Ichigo, who simply looked back at her, waiting for her to continue. "I…I need to…talk to you…"

_Stop doubting yourself._ Orihime heard Hasu's voice emerge from the back of her mind. _How do you expect to improve if you refuse to leave this weakling condition of yours? How do you want to protect him if you cannot even protect yourself?_

Orihime felt her breath get stuck on her throat as Hasu's voice continued ringing in her ears. Ichigo, albeit confused by her silence, simply continued staring at the auburn haired girl.

_He's not__ just the guy who swore to protect you. He's not just the guy who went to search for you after you disappeared. He is first, and most importantly, your friend. You owe him that._

"I'm sorry…" Orihime finally uttered in a weak voice, and Ichigo blinked at her apology. "Had I been stronger…If I was like Kuchiki-san, you…you…I'd be able to help you… I'd be able to protect you, and…and…"

"Inoue, what are you talking about?"

_For you we bled, for us you shall die.  
_

"It's all my fault…everything was my fault…" Orihime continued to ramble as she stared down, tears prickling the side of her eyes. Her breathing was slowly becoming irregular while thoughts started consuming her mind like a feral inferno. "If I hadn't gone to Las Noches…had I been stronger…"

"Inoue…"

"No one would have…you wouldn't have…"

_Perfect. Pay close attention to the moment where the man you've entrusted your hopes to seals off his life._

"I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime continued to babble out, hot tears already streaming down her cheeks. Reflexively, she raised her hands to the sides of her head, and gripped her hair. "If it weren't for me, you…you…"

"Inoue!" Ichigo finally cried out, and Orihime felt all air dissipate from her lungs when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her trembling form. Widening her eyes, she felt more tears rolling down her face as Ichigo's heartbeat started singing into her ears. "I don't know what's going on, but calm down already!"

…_Where…? Wasn't there…a hole in my chest…?_

_Kurosaki-kun…_

_Inoue…you're okay? Ishida…_

_So…you finally…woke up, huh?_

_That wound…did I do that…?_

As that memory echoed through her mind, Orihime found herself raising her hands, and grasping the front of Ichigo's jacket. It was a movement that she paid no attention to. All she wanted was to feel safe…all she wanted was to feel Ichigo's strength…

Oh heavens, he did not recall what had happened back in the dome. How could she have forgotten about it?

"Does this have anything to do with what happened during my last fight with Ulquiorra?"

Orihime felt her breath get stuck on her throat once more, and her tears ceased. The way Ichigo had uttered that question…the soft and deep voice he had used to ask such thing…it all revealed how much it still hurt him to think about it.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Orihime mumbled, still not noticing the way she was pressing her face against Ichigo's chest. "I wanted to protect you, and yet…and yet…"

"Inoue, just tell me what's bothering you." Ichigo requested as he grasped the girl's wrists, causing her to give one step backwards. For a moment, Orihime just stared at Ichigo's shoes before she finally raised her bloodshot orbs to look at him.

"I…I called out for you…" she confessed, tears blurring her vision as she refused to let them fall. "I asked for you…to help us, and you…Kurosaki-kun, you…you came to help us…in that form…"

"Form?" Ichigo interrupted her, a trouble mask on his face, and Orihime apprehensively nodded in response. "What form?"

"The…hollow form…" Orihime answered before she closed her eyes, and pictured the beast that constantly haunted her dreams in her mind. After licking her lips, Orihime forced herself to describe the beast to Ichigo, who quietly listened to her description.

"I…I don't remember that…" Ichigo confessed as he looked down, his eyebrows puckered in concentration. "I know there was a hole in my chest, and…I did hear you call out for me, but…I don't remember anything after that…"

Orihime parted her lips to speak up, but decided against. What could she say? There was no way she could tell Ichigo that he had gone berserk during his transformation. Also, there was no way she would tell him what he had done. After all, all he had done had been to protect her.

"I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime repeated again as she also dropped her gaze, and it was then that she noticed that he was holding her wrists. Calmly, she managed to free herself from his grasp, but when Ichigo was about to let his hands fall to his sides, she reached out for them.

Grasping his hands in hers, Orihime took a deep breath, and looked at Ichigo again.

"If I was like Kuchiki-san…"

"I wouldn't have survived." Ichigo coolly finished the sentence, and Orihime blinked at that. He was still frowning, as usual, but there was something in his eyes that seemed to be reaching out for her heart. "If you were like Rukia, I wouldn't be here."

"Kurosaki-kun…"

"It was you who called out for me." Ichigo continued, ignoring the way Orihime had just whispered his name. "To be honest I have no idea why your call got to me, but…I'm sure that if it had been Rukia up there and not you…well, I wouldn't have survived."

"Why are you saying that?" Orihime asked, still holding the boy's hands. "If I were Kuchiki-san, I would've been able to protect you from the beginning. You wouldn't have transformed into that hollow…"

"That doesn't matter." Ichigo replied with a small shake of his head, "It was your voice that reached out for me, Inoue. That's all that matters."

Orihime parted her lips to respond, when a guttural voice embraced her.

_...You. Help you. I'll help you.  
_

"I'm so sorry…" Orihime repeated, her voice fading away as she stared at Ichigo in the eye, but the boy simply shook his head.

"Don't be…" he informed her as he released one of her hands.

Orihime silently observed as Ichigo raised his free hand towards her face, but when his fingers were just inches away from her cheek, the school's bell started echoing throughout the school's grounds. Ichigo promptly lowered his hand, and Orihime felt her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that he had yet to release her other hand.

And it was then that Ichigo's voice tickled her ears again.

"…Because I'm not."

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

**

Alright, so this is it! I truly hope Ichigo was not out of character…that much, but I'll let you guys decide. I hope everyone liked this chapter! Thank you for everything!


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